The weekend gone by was among the worst the year has witnessed thus far, as far as film business is concerned. There was a barrage of new releases [10 + films, if one were to count Hindi and non-Hindi films] and the turnout was shockingly low at cineplexes. In fact, the outrageously low weekend numbers must've given many a person panic attack.
Well, no one was expecting AASHAYEIN and HELLO DARLING, the most prominent releases last Friday, to have a record-breaking start, but no one expected the films to open to 3%, 5% and 7% response either. The films in question were well promoted, had credible names involved/associated with them, yet the box-office outcome was nightmarish. As for the other releases, one constantly kept hearing that the shows had been called off due to lack of audience. In fact, a number of new releases are sure to be discontinued before the week comes to a close.
Why were film-makers in a tearing hurry to release their films last Friday, you may ask. With biggies dominating the screen space from this Friday onwards [WE ARE FAMILY, DABANGG, ANJAANA ANJAANI], the medium-range/low cost films wouldn't manage ample shows at cineplexes. The thought of getting bulldozed by the biggies [if they open in the same week] generally prompts film-makers to look for 'open' weeks, when the opposition isn't strong enough.
But my question to these film-makers is, does the common man have the time, money or inclination to watch so many films in one week? In the absence of a biggie last Friday, did moviegoers rush to watch the low cost films? Seriously, why can't people avoid clashes? But there's a counter-question: Why will a film-maker do that? Why will he call up a fellow film-maker and request him to postpone his release? The fellow film-maker may turn around and request him to postpone his film first, for all you know.
There's no solution to this issue, frankly. The clashes have occurred in the past. They keep occurring even today. They will continue to occur in the future as well. We haven't learnt from our mistakes. We never will!
