Welcome To The Jungle is holding well at the box office thanks to positive word of mouth. However, another comedy, Dhamaal 4, is set for release this Friday, and trade experts feel it might dent the prospects of the former.
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “Dhamaal 4 will slightly erode the business because Welcome To The Jungle will be in the third week. Also, Dhamaal 4 falls into the comedy genre. The impact would be more, as a result.”
Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, in agreement, added, “Dhamaal 4 will cannibalize Welcome To The Jungle. Hence, the business of Welcome will be curtailed to some extent.”
Trade analyst Atul Mohan opined, “Dhamaal 4 is also a family entertainer and has a chance to work. There’s a huge audience for it. Just like Welcome, Dhamaal is also a successful franchise. Total Dhamaal (2019) was lapped up by the kids big time. I remember it was running with good occupancy in its 4th and 5th week.”
He added, “It’s great to see multi-starrers and neat-and-clean comedies are back. These are the films for the big screen. It’s a great way for a family to have an outing. In such films, both mass and class centres contribute thoroughly.”
Taran Adarsh remarked, “Thanks to these films, the audience is back, not just in urban areas but in mass areas as well. When it comes to blockbusters like Pushpa 2, Jawan, Pathaan, Gadar 2, Stree 2 etc., the business has not just come from bigger centres but also from B and C centres. We need to make such films that cater to a wide audience, not just select cities or the Bandra-to-Versova crowd.”
Girish Johar, producer and eminent film business analyst, said, “As we all know, comedy is one of the most difficult genres. But it is also very audience-friendly genre. So, people want to get entertained. Who does not want to have a good laugh? So, the preference for comedy is much higher. Also, there are very limited makers and actors who can pull it off. And Akshay is definitely one of the few actors who can pull off comedies like a pro.”
Bollywood was hardly coming up with a handful of comedies. This year will see the release of four comic capers in less than two months – Pati Patni Aur Woh, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, Welcome To The Jungle and Dhamaal 4.
Girish Johar stated, “To me, that’s a good sign because it means more people are coming to theatres. While critically such films get mixed results, the audience nevertheless gets entertained.”
Taran Adarsh further said, “We were neglecting the genre as we have been making urban-centric films. The staple diet for the aam aadmi has always been masala, leave-your-brain-at-home kind of entertainers. Manmohan Desai used to make so many such films. Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) had the scene of three sons together donating blood to their mother. I remember people were clapping during that moment! In today’s times, trolls would have finished off the scene. But then, it worked like magic.”
Atul Mohan compared watching big-scale films to eating out, “Some kind of films we are making is the same as the one on OTT. Then why would the audience visit cinema halls to watch them? If there would be no difference in home-cooked food and restaurant food, why would they order a meal from the latter? There are certain meals, like say a Thali. You can enjoy it only in a restaurant. Films like Welcome To The Jungle and Dhamaal 4 are like a Thali. You have different types of characters. Such films are best enjoyed in theatres only.”
Taran Adarsh signed off by saying, “Everyone has worries and tensions, and they all want to laugh and get entertained. Welcome To The Jungle is a stressbuster that makes you forget everything for the next 2 ½ hours. That’s what the magic of cinema is.”
More Pages: Dhamaal 4 Box Office Collection , Dhamaal 4 Movie Review
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