As you sow so shall you reap. I believe in this proverb completely. But the irony is, most people in the industry don't. They love to pass the buck elsewhere, instead of admitting and owning their faults. If a film fails, the blame game begins. Bad weather, school/college exams, cricket matches, political turmoil/disturbances, elections, recession, steep ticket rates, piracy… we never fall short of excuses. But everything is conveniently forgotten when a film clicks.
A string of low cost movies opened last week, exactly a week before KITES. That led me thinking. Why are producers in a tearing hurry to release multiple films exactly a week before a big-budget film arrives? Are they under the impression that they would generate better revenue if they arrive a week before? I can imagine a film or two releasing in a week, but 7-8 releases? When will we learn from our mistakes?
Last weekend, BUMM BUMM BOLE was the pick of the lot, thanks to the presence of director Priyadarshan and child star Darsheel Safary, but the film failed to lure the kids [its target audience] or adults. The opening weekend numbers were, expectedly, poor.
While BUMM BUMM BOLE may be able to complete an entire week at cineplexes, the remaining films will face an uphill task. Cancellation of shows is a commonality these days and the screening of most films was called off due to lack of audience at cineplexes. I wish to ask a pertinent question to the producers of these films: How will you recover the investment, given the fact that the theatrical business is dismal?
Gone are the days when films would recover a substantial sum of their investment from theatrical revenue. In today's times, it's getting increasingly difficult to recover even the print cost of the film. Poor content and poor planning has led to the downfall of most movies and for God's sake, let's not blame the audience or cricket or the heat wave for the chaotic state of affairs. We deserve it!
