Film business is very speculative. One week it slides down. The subsequent week it heads Northwards. And when you have five films vying for audience attention, the business is bound to be scattered. Of all the five films that opened last Friday, it was FORCE that generated some heat at the ticket window. The business of the remaining films, barring the critically acclaimed SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER to an extent, remained on the lower side.
Come to think of it, John Abraham -- I am talking of solo starrers here -- was never known to attract audience in hordes on the crucial Friday. His last two films, JHOOTHA HI SAHI and AASHAYEIN, were not only poor openers, but proved damp squibs at the box-office. Going by this logic/theory, FORCE, relying strictly on John's brawn power, was never expected to have a forceful start at the ticket window. Besides, with so many films releasing on that day, the screen count and shows were curtailed to a major extent, thus limiting its business prospects. But box-office is most unpredictable…
FORCE seems to have been singled out by the movie-going audience. And with Dashehra on Thursday, the film has ample opportunity to post respectable numbers in Week 1. The producer/Studio hasn't sold the Satellite Rights yet, but looking at the decent response at the ticket window, besides a positive word of mouth, the rights should fetch a significant amount.
SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER, on the other hand, met with tremendous critical acclaim and the business showed a gradual increase, though the big jump was missing. Of course, the film caters to a niche audience and was never expected to fetch an electrifying start. It was meant to grow with a strong word of mouth, which it did. The film has fared well in certain pockets mainly [Delhi-U.P. and Punjab circuits]. The silver lining is its reasonable budget, so recovering the costs shouldn't be a problem.
The remaining three films, HUM TUM SHABANA, TERE MERE PHERE and CHARGESHEET, failed to takeoff and the business showed no signs of escalation during the weekend.
