Box-office is full of surprises. Last week, the hurricane-like start of AAP KAA SURROOR caught the industry unaware. This week, the day-wise improvement of MY FRIEND GANESHA had people rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Of course, the kiddie film is no major money spinner, but the slow-n-steady rise did bring a smile on our faces.
The general perception is, chhoti picture kya chalegi? They only add to the tally of flops. But, once in a while, a not-in-news movie grabs your attention with its sheer simplicity. MY FRIEND GANESHA is no epic by any chance, but the fact that the kids are patronizing the movie reinstates the fact that they [aam junta] are the final judges.
I could sense the excitement of kids as I caught the film at a private screening. The screening was essentially meant for kids, who, I must add, judged the movie more correctly than our so-called critics.
The day-wise growth of MY FRIEND GANESHA should act as an eye-opener. Yet, I still maintain what I wrote in the review: Had it released during the vacations, the results would've been much better. Anyways, let's have a look at the day-wise growth of this kiddie film in various parts of the country:-
| THEATRE | Fri | Sat | Sun | MUMBAI CITY & SUBURBS |
| Inox, Mumbai | 22,797 | 57,313 | 67,049 |
| Apsara, Mumbai | 3,498 | 13,925 | 18,664 |
| Metro Adlabs, Mumbai | 12,204 | 52,346 | 79,574 |
| Regal, Mumbai | 1,093 | 8,850 | 17,499 |
| New Empire, Mumbai | 5,601 | 18,868 | 50,291 |
| Sterling, Mumbai | 3,520 | 18,960 | 31,680 |
| Fame Nakshatra, Dadar | 5,533 | 6,452 | 10,422 |
| Cinemax, Sion | 6,802 | 17,069 | 17,488 |
| Gossip, Bandra | 8,287 | 11,381 | 12,783 |
| Globus, Bandra | 502 | 1,930 | 5,829 |
| Fame Adlabs, Andheri | 11,872 | 42,346 | 43,132 |
| Fun Republic, Andheri | 3,974 | 19,058 | 36,170 |
| Cinemax, Versova | 10,153 | 38,223 | 55,743 |
| PVR, Juhu | 17,207 | 36,272 | 59,092 |
| Movie Time, Goregaon | 7,893 | 34,342 | 61,157 |
| 24 Karat, Jogeshwari | 1,372 | 5,386 | 20,130 |
| Suncity, Vile Parle | 13,434 | 30,828 | 34,041 |
| Movie Star, Goregaon | 5,891 | 14,111 | 23,788 |
| Fame, Malad | 15,233 | 45,703 | 57,311 |
| Thakur Fame, Kandivali | 8,557 | 41,800 | 44,271 |
| Cinemax, Kandivali | 6,968 | 38,923 | 63,792 |
| Imax Adlabs, Wadala | 11,413 | 33,753 | 57,012 |
| Huma, Kanjurmarg | 13,031 | 39,389 | 63,390 |
| R Adlabs, Mulund | 6,287 | 28,890 | 50,940 |
| PVR, Mulund | 19,405 | 50,754 | 85,637 |
| Cinemax, Wondermall | 6,663 | 42,220 | 50,761 |
| Cinemax, Eternity | 7,720 | 30,858 | 41,329 |
| Adlabs, Vashi | 10,607 | 31,939 | 36,919 |
| Meghraj, Vashi | 6,375 | 18,577 | 31,944 |
| Tilak, Dombivali | 3,010 | 17,349 | 29,288 | PUNE |
| E-Square | 8,071 | 27,900 | 45,150 |
| Inox | 3,856 | 23,540 | 40,706 |
| Mangala | 1,225 | 3,016 | 9,319 |
| City Pride, Satara Road | 3,230 | 11,468 | 23,377 |
| City Pride, Kothrud | 6,254 | 28,762 | 33,905 |
| Adlabs, Chinchwad | 2,082 | 12,653 | 18,784 | SURAT |
| Fame | 8,344 | 19,996 | 47,370 |
| City Pulse | 580 | 1,075 | 4,390 |
| Valentine | 2,429 | 8,146 | 26,803 | BARODA |
| PVR | 2,311 | 11,436 | 42,477 |
| Inox | 12,624 | 25,888 | 50,288 | AHMEDABAD |
| City Pulse, Gandhinagar | 4,050 | 8,762 | 21,280 |
| Fun Republic | 13,090 | 27,750 | 64,120 |
| Wide Angle | 4,100 | 15,848 | 43,929 |
| R-World, Gandhinagar | 874 | 1,488 | 9,366 |
| City Gold | 4,147 | 19,814 | 39,091 |
| Adlabs | 464 | 8,008 | 26,880 | GOA |
| Inox | 5,312 | 10,263 | 31,536 | CHENNAI |
| Inox | 3,546 | 20,916 | 29,480 |
| Sree | 4,975 | 21,204 | 22,148 |
| Anu Ega | 4,420 | 15,788 | 25,457 |
Collections courtesy: Percept Picture Company
All said, the slow-n-steady climb of MY FRIEND GANESHA proves yet again that there's a big audience for kiddie films in India.
The second release of the week, JOURNEY BOMBAY TO GOA, wasn't expected to fetch a flying start and though it opened to ordinary to dull response at multiplexes, the response at smaller stations was better. Essentially targeted at the masses, the film should manage to fetch decent collections in the mass-dominated belt.
THIS WEEK IN 2006
[Weekend: July 7-9, 2006]
Just when you thought that the moviegoers were in a mood to watch films that starred big names only [FANAA, PHIR HERA PHERI, KRRISH], the slow-n-steady rise of CORPORATE, a 'small' film by industry standards, reaffirmed your faith in content. The film caught on with the multiplex crowd, its target audience. Not just Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata, even multiplexes of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh [Indore] gradually embraced the film. Mumbai, of course, continued to lead.
THIS WEEK IN 2005
[Weekend: July 8-10, 2005]
DUS opened to an earth-shattering initial all over India, fetching the best opening the year had witnessed so far. What actually contributed to the mind-boggling start of DUS at the turnstiles? Four factors:
- The striking face-value/star cast.
- The popularity of 'Dus Bahane' and 'Deedaar De'.
- The stylish stunts. The action promos attracted lovers of action flicks in hordes.
- The chic promos and the aggressive marketing prior to its release.
On the other hand, FAREB, starring the two Shetty sisters with Manoj Bajpai, got swallowed by a super-strong opposition [DUS].. The much-talked-about MATRUBHOOMI also went completely unnoticed, getting knocked down by the opposition.
THIS WEEK IN 2004
[Weekend: July 2-4, 2004]
While the first six months of 2004 had ended on a grim note [the month of June was extremely disturbing, with four major setbacks -- AAN, DEV, LAKSHYA and DEEWAAR], the first week of July didn't start on a positive note either. SHIKAAR, HYDERABAD BLUES 2 and THODA TUM BADLO THODA HUM didn't work. Of the three films, the opening of SHIKAAR was slightly better [the slick promos were aggressively promoted on television], but the remaining two films went unnoticed completely.
