Hear this. Teen cheez ko kabhi under-estimate nahin karna - Salman Khan, uske fans aur uski films.
Now hear this. There are three types of movies - commercial, art house and those starring Salman Khan.
I'm sure, you will hear more of such things in times to come…
Now let's get into the flashback mode. Prior to its release, a number of top notch distributors were speculating the opening weekend business of READY. One of them, whose word holds weight in distribution circles, called to say that the opening weekend business would be in Rs 35 cr to Rs 40 cr range. And if luck would be on its side, the business might touch Rs 40 cr nett [it's a remote possibility, he added]. The hype is tremendous, but 'something' is missing, he opined.
The leading distributor's prophecy almost came true on Friday morning, when the morning shows of the film commenced across the country. The start was big, but it was expected to be bigger. Salman's star power + two Hit tracks + post DABANGG wave + first biggie after the conclusion of IPL cricket matches… READY was supposed to bring relief to the strife-torn industry. Embarking on a never-seen-before opening.
But READY consolidated its position with each passing show. By Friday evening, it was more than evident that READY would cross the Rs 40 cr mark in its opening weekend, but overpowering DABANGG was ruled out. However, the business took a slight dip on Saturday, but the numbers zoomed upwards on Sunday. READY now sits pretty on No 2 position in the Top 5 openers of all times list, having collected Rs 42.75 cr nett in its first three days. The Top 5 opening weekend are as follows:-
DABANGG - 48.5 cr
READY - 42.75 cr
3 IDIOTS - 40 cr
TEES MAAR KHAN - 38 cr
GOLMAAL 3 - 36 cr
The opening weekend numbers clearly indicate that READY has been embraced by the paying public. That's what matters at the end of the day, isn't it? The one question that I wish to pose to the naysayers [a negligible minority] is, what do people expect from masala films? Non-stop entertainment, right? In this case, did Anees Bazmee or Salman Khan ever claim that the viewer would be served an UDAAN or a STANLEY KA DABBA or a TAARE ZAMEEN PE or a GUZAARISH? The world knew it was a remake of a Telugu film and [most] people even knew what its storyline was. So why this hullabaloo about the film not having an interesting story/screenplay? READY is a fun ride and has to be viewed from that perspective.
Most importantly, if the reports of READY were terrible, the business would've crumbled on Day 2 [Saturday] itself. It would've fallen by 35% to 40% [perhaps more]. And Sunday wouldn't be strong either. But READY reported bigger figures on Sunday than Friday and Saturday, which proves that the word of mouth is on the positive side. Let's not forget, no film can claim to have the mandate of the universal audience. But the one thing we need to learn is to respect the mandate of the junta. They know better!
Well, with a great start on one hand and no major opposition in its next two weeks, READY is expected to rule the box-office for sure. As for its economics and where it stands, well, let's await its second weekend figures to see how big a success it is.
