This weekend was indeed special! SPECIAL 26 and ABCD - ANY BODY CAN DANCE have revived memories of days when two films would blissfully co-exist in one week. The two films -- diametrically opposite in terms of content -- have brought about a wave of optimism, with the combined weekend total looking at approx Rs 45 cr +. Just goes to prove that the audience is thirsting for films that enlighten and entertain. It also signifies that the viewer is not limiting himself/herself to masala movies alone.
What really caught the film trade by surprise was the tremendous start embarked upon by ABCD - ANY BODY CAN DANCE at several centres. Though pitted against a movie that was carrying rave reports, besides impressive names on and off screen, the general feeling was, it would be tough for ABCD - ANY BODY CAN DANCE to withstand a strong opponent like SPECIAL 26. Instead, ABCD - ANY BODY CAN DANCE ate into the business of SPECIAL 26 initially. Box-office can be so volatile!
On the other hand, SPECIAL 26 was never expected to notch a momentous opening, like the HOUSEFULL series or ROWDY RATHORE, both starring Akshay Kumar. It was meant to grow with each passing day and it behaved exactly that way. SPECIAL 26 witnessed impressive growth on Saturday and Sunday and has been maintaining very well on weekdays across multiplexes. The terrific word of mouth, the fantastic reviews by critics who matter and the overall positivity surrounding the movie should help it sustain in its second weekend too.
Both SPECIAL 26 and ABCD - ANY BODY CAN DANCE come with an expensive price tag and it would be interesting to note their performance in the forthcoming days. Nonetheless, when one looks back, it does signify that he audience never went away, like some naysayers would want us to believe. A good film will always find its audience. However, the onus falls upon us, the film industry, to deliver movies of their choice. Right?
