The opening weekend verdict was loud and clear on Friday itself. DON had fetched a good to excellent start [80%-90%], while JAAN-E-MANN, another biggie this Diwali, sent shock waves with a tepid start [25%-40%]. Those expecting the Salman-Akshay starrer to fetch a hurricane-like start were surely disappointed.
While the audience feedback to DON ranges from average to below average, JAAN-E-MANN enjoys better reports. A section of the industry feels that the business of JAAN-E-MANN would show an increase [good word of mouth] for this reason. Also, everyone’s hoping that JAAN-E-MANN would consolidate its position after Idd, since Salman is a major draw with a section of the movie-going audience.
Day 2 [Saturday] was weak for both the films, since Laxmi pooja affects the business of all releases. With most Hindus offering prayers on this day, the attendance at movieplexes takes a complete beating. This year was no exception. The collections of both DON and JAAN-E-MANN slided downwards practically everywhere. In fact, at some centres, the collections were as low as 15%-20%, which, frankly, didn’t come as a surprise.
Sunday went in favor of DON again, while JAAN-E-MANN did show an increase but it didn’t perform to its optimum capacity.
A section of the film industry feels that the pre-Diwali dull phase [on Friday] affected the prospects of JAAN-E-MANN. If one were to take this rationale seriously, then why did DON fetch a good start? A section is also of the opinion that the promotion of JAAN-E-MANN, although aggressive, didn’t have the required garmi to compel the moviegoers to rush to the nearby cinemas.
Meanwhile, the Amitabh Bachchan starrer GANGA [Bhojpuri] is faring very well in Uttar Pradesh, with several shows registering 100% collections.
More updates on Diwali releases to follow. Only on IndiaFM.
