East. West. North. South. This COCKTAIL had the nation intoxicated all through the weekend. Come to think of it, when its makers were making AGENT VINOD and COCKTAIL simultaneously, the focus was more on the ambitious AGENT VINOD for varied reasons. But COCKTAIL has emerged the dark horse. A film with urban sensibilities, COCKTAIL is the flavor of the season.
Last year, the month of July witnessed four back-to-back hits in DELHI BELLY, MURDER 2, ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA and SINGHAM. Without doubt, it was the best month of 2011. This year, the domestic BO is witnessing an upsurge, with BOL BACHCHAN last week and COCKTAIL attracting moviegoers in hordes. It's raining at the BO.
COCKTAIL is behaving exactly like ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA last year. The quantum of business of ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA was huge from multiplexes and COCKTAIL is expected to generate the maximum revenue from plexes. Eros has, very wisely, given it a limited release at single screens, but despite that COCKTAIL has packed a solid punch in its opening weekend.
In terms of economics, the sale of Satellite and music rights, besides the subsidy from U.K., should help recover a major chunk of its investment, while the excellent returns from India and Overseas BO should help COCKTAIL attain the 'Hit' status. A Hit benefits all and naturally, Saif, Dinesh Vijan and Eros would be laughing all the way to the bank, but its success will help Deepika and Diana consolidate their status in the industry.
There's lull this Friday, since no significant Hindi movie is hitting the marquee, but THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, the Hollywood biggie, which is having a wide release in India, should keep the momentum alive, while COCKTAIL continues its victorious march at plexes and BOL BACHCHAN at single screens.
