It's the lull before the storm. Last Friday's JO HUM CHAHEIN and PAPPU CAN'T DANCE SAALA couldn't make the audience dance to their tunes. The business was dismal. But the silver lining was the superb performance by the Hollywood biggie, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL, which eclipsed all Hindi films [includes the new releases as well as the holdover titles].
Hollywood films have already made inroads into the Indian market and the fabulous response to MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL only goes to prove that Hollywood is now well ensconced here. I repeat, the next time a Bollywood film-maker decides to plan the release strategy of his/her film, he/she will have to keep tabs on not just the Hindi films slated for release during that period, but also the Hollywood biggies.
Talking of Hindi releases, the next week biggie is keenly anticipated by one and all: DON 2. It's the last big-budget release of 2011. Besides, it's one of the most lucrative periods to release a film. The business of movies is at an all-time high globally and if you look at the escalation in business over the past few years, a much-awaited biggie can attain magical numbers in the opening weekend itself.
The holiday period has gained a lot of significance. Diwali, Eid, Christmas, even Republic Day and Independence Day, besides public holidays are eyed by film-makers and distributors in Bollywood. That explains why most film-makers have already blocked the crucial dates in 2012. A lot many films are expected to be added to the exhaustive list in weeks to come. A few Studios [Viacom, Eros, Fox, Reliance] and several independent film-makers are yet to disclose their line-up of movies in 2012, so expect the Fridays to be crowded/overcrowded next year.
DON 2 enjoys an open run for two weeks, till PLAYERS hits the screens on 6 January 2012. DON 2 carries the load of monumental expectations and the mathematicians in the industry will be comparing it minutely with the success stories of 2011. The year 2011 had started on a heartening note [NO ONE KILLED JESSICA] and one only hopes that it ends on a euphoric note.
