It was expected to hit the Indian box-office with the impact of a hurricane. But Yash Raj's latest biggie JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM belied the expectations that one associates with a film of this magnitude. Merit-wise as well as business-wise, this one doesn't conform to the high standards set by the illustrious production house. To cut a long story short, JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM has proved to be one of the biggest disappointments of 2007.
Kya hua? Let's talk about the content first. Till the late 1990s, a hit song would ensure a good number of footfalls at movieplexes in the domestic market. Not anymore. In this case, the popular tracks ['Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' and 'Ticket To Hollywood'] didn't ensure a fantastic start for the film from East to West and from North to South. More on that later!
Look at the aces that go in its favor: The production house is revered and respected by moviegoers of all ages, the star-value was tremendous, the director has a successful film behind him, it faces no opposition whatsoever from any biggie for two solid weeks [there's CHAIN KULII KI MAIN KULII KI this Friday]… What more could any maker ask for?
But the word of mouth spreads faster than fire these days. And the negative reports and reactions were more than evident on moviegoers' faces after the first show concluded. What indeed came as a shock was the fact that the film had opened to a below-the-mark response at several screens [40% +, but at places, below 40%]. The industry was zapped. Everyone expected a flying start for sure.
The multiplexes of Mumbai and Delhi were strong in the opening days, but the collections came sliding downwards as days progressed. At a centre like Indore [one of the barometers of the industry], the multiplexes reported a decline on Day 2 [Saturday] itself. Have a look at the approx. figures…
| Theatres | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon | Tue |
| PVR | 1,92,800 | 1,73,000 | 1,79,000 | 76,700 | 53,800 |
| Adlabs | 1,30,800 | 1,01,000 | 1,74,000 | 35,800 | 27,000 |
| Inox | 1,36,500 | 1,01,000 | 1,82,600 | 46,300 | 38,400 |
| Velocity | 1,20,100 | 84,000 | 1,51,700 | 28,000 | 20,500 |
JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM faced a rough ride from weekdays onwards. On Monday, the collections reported a decline. The decline was even more rapid on Tuesday and Wednesday. An expensive film like JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM should've notched impressive numbers in its first 10 days, but I doubt if it would stand on its feet in its second weekend due to outright negative reports.
THIS WEEK IN 2006
[Weekend: June 16-18, 2006]
With FANAA and PHIR HERA PHERI dominating the domestic box-office and the much-awaited KRRISH due next Friday, ALAG, released in the midst of biggies, was sandwiched at the ticket window. The film failed to attract footfalls at cineplexes, even though the word of mouth was fairly promising.
With a dull opening [8%-10%] and a frail weekend on hand, the producer, who released the film himself in several territories, faced an uphill task to recover his investment.
THIS WEEK IN 2005
[Weekend: June 17-19, 2005]
Most Hindi films arrived without a bang and leave without a whimper. That's what happened last week. Barring BACHKE REHNA RE BABA, which had a 45%-55% start, the remaining three films -- SILSIILAY, SSUKH and 99.9. FM -- grossed poor figures from the word 'Go'. The film industry, which was already reeling under a spate of flops, felt even more demoralized this Friday.
THIS WEEK IN 2004
[Weekend: June 11-13, 2004]
Two diametrically opposite films -- DEV and GIRL FRIEND -- made it to the cinema halls this Friday. While the opening of GIRL FRIEND ranged from 40% to 60% [the turnout at multiplexes was much better], the below-the-mark opening of DEV at several parts of the country did raise eyebrows.
The collections of DEV, after a shaky start, continued to fall as days progressed. Even at multiplexes, the fall in collections was pretty strong from Monday onwards. On the other hand, GIRL FRIEND fared well at several centres. Also, with the million dollar free publicity that it garnered, this love triangle showed a jump in its b.o. collections.
