Amitabh Bachchan's film bombs at the box office
Yash Chopra's latest release, Neal 'N' Nikki fared the best out of the three releases last week. But even though it opened well at the multiplexes, it remains to be seen whether the film will work in the long run.
Expectations for Ek Ajnabee were high, as its leading man Amitabh Bachchan was in the hospital, and the sympathy factor was expected to kick in. But the movie fared just about average.

Mahesh Bhatt's Kalyug fared the worst.

Note: Films are ranked according to their release dates.








Ek Ajnabee

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Perizaad Zorabian.
Director: Apoorva Lakhia.
Amitabh Bachchan, good music.

Slow second-half.

Number of weeks: New.
BO Verdict: Average opening.
The review







Neal N Nikki

Cast: Uday Chopra, Tanisha.
Director: Arjun Sablok.
Catchy music, some fun dialogues.

Bad acting, zero plot.

Number of weeks: New.
BO Verdict: Decent opening.
The review







Kalyug

Cast: Kunal Khemu, Deepal Shaw, Emraan Hashmi.
Director: Mohit Suri.
Novel plot, great music.

Too many flaws in the script.

Number of weeks: New.
BO Verdict: Poor opening.
The review







Apaharan

Cast: Ajay Devhan, Nana Patekar, Bipasha Basu.
Director: Prakash Jha.
Great acting especially from Nana Patekar, dialogues with punch.

Climax is too long, second half drags.

Number of weeks: 1.
BO Verdict: Average.
The review







Mr Ya Miss

Cast: Antara Mali, Riteish Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani.
Directors: Antara Mali, Satchit Puranik.
Interesting concept, Ritesh Deshmukh and Divya Dutt perform well.

Awful direction, story drags, over the top performances.

Number of weeks: 1.
BO Verdict: Flop.
The review







Home Delivery

Cast: Viveik Oberoi, Mahima Chaudhry, Ayesha Takia, Boman Irani.
Director: Sujoy Ghosh.
Some good performances, funky music, stylish film.

Weak plot, repetitive dialogues.

Number of weeks: 1.
BO Verdict: Flop.
The review







Deewane Huye Pagal

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shahid Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Rimii.
Director: Vikram Bhatt.
Akshay Kumar, hilarious dialougues, good climax.

Boring music, no novelty in the story.

Number of weeks: 2.
BO Verdict: Average in Mumbai, poor elsewhere.
The review







The Film

Cast: Mahima Chaudhry, Khaled Siddiqui, Vaibhav Jhalani, Chaahat Khanna, Ravi Gosain, Irrfan and Ananya Khare.
Director: Junaid Memon.
Great suspense, good script and some decent performances.

Mahima Chaudhry, inane dialogues.

Number of weeks: 2.
BO Verdict: Disaster.
The review







Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena

Cast: Fardeen Khan, Koena Mitra, Feroz Khan and Kay Kay Menon.
Director: Suparn Verma.
Good direction, fast-paced, Firoz Khan.

Bad performances.

Number of weeks: 3.
BO Verdict: Flop.
The review







Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story

Cast: Kabir Bedi, Zulfikar Sayed, Soniya Jehan, Pooja Batra, Arbaaz Khan and Manisha Koirala.
Director: Akbar Khan.
Some decent performances.

Tacky sets, dragging screenplay.

Number of weeks: 3.
BO Verdict: Flop.
The review




Design: Uday Kuckian



*** This BO stuff is so so weired, you will see NNN will be come average to semi hit..just see!! Audience are simply mindless zombies I guess!

Ek Ajnabee´ To Showcase Bachchan , Mixed Response To ´Apaharan´ , Satisfactory Week for ´DHP´
By: Abid
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This week will see an interesting battle between Amitabh-Arjun starrer 'Ek Ajnabee' , Yash Raj's 'Neal N Nikki' and Bhatt's 'Kalyug' . As far as the popularity of the music goes , 'Kalyug' leads by a long way , followed by 'Neal N Nikki' . On the advance booking front there are contradictory reports emerging from the Yash Raj and Bachchan camps , obviously in support of their movie . What is however clear is that non of the two has taken a substantial advance booking . However , given megastar Amitabh Bachchan's track record of late ( specially in 2005) , his charisma may just about tilt the scales in favour of Apoorva Lakhia's 'Ek Ajnabee' but the real outcome will be out on Friday , when the audience give their verdict .


Openings of 'Mr Ya Miss' , 'Home Delivery' and 'Apaharan' :- The Antara-Aftab-Riteish starrer 'Mr. Ya Miss' is another addition to Ramgopal Varma's list of disastors as the opening varied from dull to poor . 'Home Delivery' is another setback for Viveik and the media favourite Ayesha Takia ( yet to deliver even a decent grosser). Even the so called lucky mascot( after his 'Hum Tum' and 'Salaam Namaste'cameos ) Abhishek Bachchan (special appearance)could not bring any luck to the movie . In the overseas too both the movies have been rejected . While 'Home Delivery' has earned (In US) $ 46,730 , 'Mr. Ya Miss' collected a dismal $ 15,776 .

The whole electronic and print media is out to prove that 'Apaharan' is a hit and predicts that Ajay Devgan will get another National award for it ( some , even before the film released!). The fact is that while the movie had a very good opening in the Hindi belt ( UP , Bihar and MP) , it was dull in Delhi City and average in Maharashtra . By and large the movie has not been appreciated by the Metro and multiplex audiences .

In the overseas 'Apaharan' is a disastor getting $25,168 in US while the UK collections are not available (officially) , but are very ordinary and in the range of about $ 35,000 .

Verdict :- While 'Home Delivery' is on way to a flop ,'Mr. Ya Miss' is a sureshot disastor . Given the high number of prints and also the reasonable cost 'Apaharan' may scrape through to a revovery or average status in India . What must also be kept in mind is that unlike the teams last , 'Gangaajal' , 'Apaharan' has been sold at a much higher price .

'Deewane Huye Paagal' :- As the opening week of the Akshay-Sunil-Shahid starrer progressed , it appeared that 'Deewane Huye Paagal' may turn out to be the biggest flop of 2005 but when the collections were out it was another story altogether . The movie has also been very steady in the overseas .

First week collactions :

Bombay - 1,57,21,734 from 41 cinemas ( 1 on F.H.)

Thane district - 27,18,425 from 9 cinemas ( 8 on F.H.)

Ahmedabad - 51,51,594 from 15 cinemas ( 2 unrecd.)

Rajkot - 4,02,392 ( 1 on F.H.)

Jamnagar - 4,95,493 from 2 cinemas

Bhavnagar (42 shows) - 6,39,670

Nasik - 6,06,451 from 3 cinemas

Delhi - 78,23,269 from 17 cinemas

Noida (42 shows) - 9,45,080

Ghaziabad - 7,06,746 from 4 cinemas

Kanpur (6 days) - 6,71,477 from 3 cinemas

Lucknow - 9,18,333 from 3 cinemas

Agra - 3,02,198

Meerut - 2,61,456

Moradabad - 1,10,000

Bareilly - 84,218

Aligarh - 3,90,000 from 2 cinemas

Mathura - 90,000

Amroha - 40,000

Dehradun ( Uttaranchal) - 2,21,897

Nagpur - 6,93,857 from 4 cinemas

Jabalpur - 1,72,121

Amravati - 2,73,231

Akola - 2,40,471

Jalgaon - 1,42,053

Chandrapur - 1,80,820

Indore - 3,92,441 ( 2 on F.H. , 1 unrecd.)

Jaipur - 4,27,590

Bikaner - 3,03,357

Calcutta - 24,97,292 from 10 cinemas

Hyderabad - 30,13,741 from 11 cinemas ( 7 unrecd.)

Bangalore (77 shows) - 11,14,513

Madras - 7,38,705 from 2 cinemas ( 2 unrecd.)

First week collections : 4,84,91,617 from 145 cinemas (reported)

First week total(calculated) : All india 9.75 cr - 9.95 cr

Overseas - In the US the movie has collected $301,376 and in the UK $267,642

Verdict :- The distributors UTV ( India and oversesas) have obtained 'Deewane Huye Paagal' for a price of 10.50 crores in India (including print and publicity) and so ultimately it will be a safe investment for them .

'Garam Masala' :- The Priyadarshan directed Akshay-John starrer is still getting in decent collections . In its fourth week the movie collected 72,09,108 from 82 reported cinemas for a total of about 26.25 crores from India . The movie is also doing exceedingly well in overseas , specially UK where it has collected more than $1,083,755 .

Verdict : -'Garam Masala' is almost a superhit in India and a good hit in the UK . Unofficial sources also make claims about its good performance in USA .

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ONLY DHP is satisfactory, explains it all ,

Sleaze Fails!


The verdict is loud and clear: NEAL 'N' NIKKI has been rejected outright in the U.S. The vulgar film, which focuses on bra, bikini, bust and butt more than a sound story, has recorded dull collections in its opening weekend. Its failure only reiterates the fact that it's a solid story that does the talking at the end of the day.

The other biggie, EK AJNABEE, has fetched a better start than NEAL 'N' NIKKI, but that's no consolation. The collections aren't the type that would make you jump with joy. Also goes to show, once again, that action flicks aren't hot property in Overseas.

Amongst previous releases, HOME DELIVERY has met with the worst fate ever. The collections are in hundreds, not even thousands or lacs. Can easily occupy the top place in the monumental disaster category!

Weekend: December 9 - 11, 2005.

U.K. BOX-OFFICE

EK AJNABEE has debuted at No. 16 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 35,058 [approx. Rs. 28.64 lacs] on 20 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,753.

Check out U.K. statistics [from 1999 to 2005] of Amitabh Bachchan | Arjun Rampal


DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL [last weekend: No. 14, this weekend: No. 19]: In its third weekend, the film has collected £ 15,373 on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,183. Total: £ 188,798 [approx. Rs. 1.54 crores].


APAHARAN [last weekend: No. 17, this weekend: No. 21]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 8,739 on 9 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 971. Total: £ 41,322 [approx. Rs. 33.75 lacs].


GARAM MASALA [last weekend: No. 24, this weekend: No. 30]: In its sixth weekend, the film has collected £ 2,728 on 4 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 682. Total: £ 593,625 [approx. Rs. 4.85 crores].


TAJ MAHAL [last weekend: No. 33, this weekend: No. 32]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected £ 2,296 on 13 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 177. Total: £ 62,439 [approx. Rs. 51 lacs].


HOME DELIVERY [last weekend: No. 23, this weekend: No. 45]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 714 on 5 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 143. Total: £ 16,048 [approx. Rs. 13.11 lacs].

THIS WEEKEND IN U.K.
[Based on screen averages]

RANK FILM AVERAGE
1 EK AJNABEE £ 1,753
2 DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL £ 1,183
3 APAHARAN £ 971
4 GARAM MASALA £ 682
5 TAJ MAHAL £ 177
6 HOME DELIVERY £ 143


U.S.A. BOX-OFFICE

EK AJNABEE has debuted at No. 28 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 121,406 [approx. Rs. 55.91 lacs] on 38 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 3,195.


NEAL 'N' NIKKI has debuted at No. 35 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 75,005 [approx. Rs. 34.54 lacs] on 44 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 1,705.

YASH RAJ FILMS IN U.S.A.

FILM OPENING WEEKEND [$] SCREENS AVERAGE PER PRINT [$]
Neal 'N' Nikki 75,005 44 1,705
Salaam | Namaste 504,898 63 8,014
Bunty Aur Babli [4-day Memorial Day weekend] 435,767 51 8,544
Veer-Zaara 903,010 88 10,261
Dhoom 102,860 32 3,214
Hum Tum [4-day Memorial Day weekend] 348,149 43 8,096
Saathiya 71,400 29 2,462

DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL [last weekend: No. 33, this weekend: No. 48]: In its third weekend, the film has collected $ 30,065 on 29 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 1,037. Total: $ 355,962 [approx. Rs. 1.64 crores].


HOME DELIVERY [last weekend: No. 46, this weekend: No. 77]: In its second weekend, the film has collected $ 3,800 on 15 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 253. Total: $ 58,499 [approx. Rs. 26.94 lacs].

THIS WEEKEND IN U.S.A.
[Based on screen averages]

RANK FILM AVERAGE
1 EK AJNABEE $ 3,195
2 NEAL 'N' NIKKI $ 1,705
3 DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL $ 1,037
4 HOME DELIVERY $ 253


NEW YORK CITY BOX-OFFICE

EK AJNABEE has debuted at No. 32 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 9,218 on 2 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 4,609. New York total: $ 9,218.


NEAL 'N' NIKKI has debuted at No. 34 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 8,277 on 3 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 2,759. New York total: $ 8,277.


DEEWANE HUYE PAAGAL [last weekend: No. 38, this weekend: No. 46]: In its third weekend, the film has collected $ 2,770 on 1 screen. New York total: $ 27,114.


APAHARAN [last weekend: No. 40, this weekend: No. 48]: In its second weekend, the film has collected $ 2,270 on 1 screen. New York total: $ 9,118.

AUSTRALIA BOX-OFFICE
[4-day weekend: December 8 - 11, 2005]
In its opening weekend, NEAL 'N' NIKKI has collected Australia $ 16,688 [approx. Rs. 5.81 lacs] on 5 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 3,338.

YASH RAJ FILMS IN AUSTRALIA

FILM WEEKEND [AUS. $] SCREENS AVERAGE [AUS. $]
Neal 'N' Nikki 16,688 5 3,338
Salaam | Namaste 130,780 9 14,531
Bunty Aur Babli 52,349 7 7,478
Veer-Zaara 83,830 8 10,479
Note:- All 4-day weekends.


In its opening weekend, EK AJNABEE has collected Australia $ 12,810 [approx. Rs. 4.46 lacs] on 4 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 3,203.

No good news for Hindi films abroad

Arthur J Pais | December 15, 2005 16:16 IST


With the mighty Amitabh Bachchan falling flat with Ek Ajnabee and wannabe-star Uday Chopra suffering a scorching humiliation with Neal N Nikki, exhibitors on both sides of the Atlantic are hoping that Abhishek Bachchan can bring some box-office cheer with Bluffmaster.

Even Akshay Kumar, who has had a string of hits abroad in recent months, could not rescue Deewane Huye Paagal from being an also-ran film, though the action comedy fared far better than the likes of Ek Ajnabee. With a $400,000 gross in North America and a slightly bigger take in the UK, the film makes one wonder if it would have done worse business had it not starred Akshay.


Whether it was a crime drama set abroad (Ek Ajnabee) or in Bihar (Apaharan), or a comedy like Home Delivery, the box-office remained firmly frozen in the past three weeks. Given the high publicity and poor grosses, Ek Ajnabee was certainly the DOA (dead on arrival) film of the week. Ajay Devgan hardly has any following in America or England. And though his Apaharan was well promoted, it ended its run with less than $80,000 in both lucrative territories.

While Hollywood is enjoying a box-office boom with King Kong, The Chronicles Of Narnia and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, the desi scene is gloomy. And distributors and exhibitors say they can only blame the unexciting crop of films.

Two years ago, director Apoorva Lakhia's Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost starring Abhishek was a box-office downer. This time he has a flop featuring the father, thanks to his cameo in Ek Ajnabee.

Ironically, the only hit Hindi film in the past four weeks hasn't even been released in the UK or America. For Deepa Mehta's critically acclaimed Water is running only in Canada, where it has grossed US$1.5 million. Though it may find it difficult to reach the $2 million benchmark there, its box-office potential went up last week when it was declared among the 10 best Canadian films of 2005.

The selection, made through the Toronto International Film Festival, involved Canadian writers, critics and filmmakers. The controversial film set in India in the late 1930s and dealing with the fight of widows to remarry and live a fruitful life, will open in America through Fox Searchlight early next year.

Meanwhile, the romantic comedy Neal N Nikki shot extensively in and around Vancouver didn't even provoke interest among desis in Canada. It made just about $75,000 in its first week in North America and about $100,000 in the United Kingdom. Uday Chopra surely has some fans in India where Dhoom, in which he shared screen time with Abhishek and John Abraham, was a hit. But even that film was a non-starter in North America and the UK.

The senior Bachchan could not save Ek Ajnabee from opening at number 28 in the USA with a paltry $120,000. The distributor apparently did not have the confidence to release the movie in a significant number of theatres. It opened in 39 theatres in North America, while even the Uday Chopra film opened on 44 screens.