Why are film-makers in a tearing hurry to release their movies? Is there a deadline? Was it coinciding with a national holiday? Or a 4-day/5-day weekend? Look at the number of films that opened last Friday -- VISHWAROOP, DAVID, MAI..., LISTEN... AMAYA and DEEWANA MAIN DEEWANA. Now add a few English and non-Hindi films to this long list... Seriously, does it make sense to have so many films clashing on a single day?
None of the films -- barring RACE 2 and VISHWAROOP [to an extent] -- could stay afloat. In some cases, the shows were called off due to zero audience. Even a film like DAVID, which had an impressive promotional campaign to back it, has emerged a complete fiasco. So who should we blame for this mess? The producers/studios, for releasing their movies without giving proper thought? Exorbitant ticket rates at cineplexes, which has made the viewer very very choosy? Poor content? Or just blame it on the luck factor [bad luck, in this case]?
While RACE 2 and VISHWAROOP witnessed ample growth over the weekend, the business of the remaining films was so poor that only a miracle could salvage the show. In today's times, if you don't score in the opening weekend, you wouldn't find a place in the cineplexes in the second weekend. The disastrous outcome of several new films, which opened last Friday, is another shocker for the industry that's feeling the heat due to the declining ratio of hits.
But I am an eternal optimist. Let's hope SPECIAL 26 and ABCD change the mood from sombre to cheerful. Fingers crossed!
