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From Chennai to Mumbai!
Three years later, the franchise is back!
ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI DOBARA has been in the news for a long time. It all started when the huge starcast was announced consisting of Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, and Sonakshi Sinha. The Eid release date (the film was originally supposed to be released on Eid) made further news. Also, with Balaji and Milan Luthria coming soon after the Blockbuster success of THE DIRTY PICTURE, it further made news. The hype for OUATIMD was increasing by leaps and bounds for a good while!
However, so many negative things have happened for the film! Lets break things down a little...
-It was confirmed earlier in the year that both ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI AGAIN (as it was originally called) and CHENNAI EXPRESS will clash on the same day on Eid
-In May, the trailer of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI AGAIN was released and met with a mixed response. There were a lot of people that liked it, but there were also a lot of people who didn't like the love story element being involved in the film. Also, some feel that Akshay/Imran are a step below Ajay/Emraan.
-Later on, it was announced that OUATIMA would release a week later than CHENNAI EXPRESS. This move invited negativity, as people felt that OUATIM moving from the Eid slot perhaps meant that the makers weren't as confident of their product.
-ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI AGAIN got changed to ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI DOBARA. Again, this was a random move, and seemed like it had something to do with astrology. But a sudden name change was odd.
-The songs slowly came out one by one, but they haven't been able to generate too much excitement.
-The second trailer of OUATIMD was released, and although it was well-received, it hasn't had too much visibility on tv channels.
-Another point to add is that both Imran Khan and Sonakhi Sinha's last few film (MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA and LOOTERA respectively) failed at the box office, while Akshay's last few films have been an inconsistent pile of hits and misses.
-Ekta Kapoor's BALAJI MOTION PICTURES has not been having a good year with all of their films this year (EK THI DAAYAN, SHOOTOUT AT WADALA, and LOOTERA) under-performing at the box office.
-I also want to add that many feel that Imran Khan is a huge misfit for his role and this movie. I wouldn't be surprised if he faces a backlash following this film.
So, all of the above things have decreased the buzz for OUATIMD. Furthermore, the earth-shattering business of CHENNAI EXPRESS has further decreased the buzz for OUATIMD, making OUATIMD feel even more thanda!
However, with all of that being said, let's look at the plus points!
-The film has a huge starcast consisting of Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, and Sonakshi Sinha. Akshay Kumar has been one of the top stars in India since around 2007, and his starpower is still there. Imran Khan works well with the urban youth, and Sonakshi Sinha has a fan-following of her own due to the popular masala films that she has been apart of, and of course because of her looks and talent as well.
-Milan Luthria is the director again after delivering the much-appreciated ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI as well as the Blockbuster THE DIRTY PICTURE. Therefore, OUATIMD has good chances of being a film with well-liked content.
-The film has chances of being accepted by both masses and classes. For the masses, there are the dialogues, some action, Akshay-Sonakshi pairing from massy Blockbuster ROWDY RATHORE, and few songs (Tu Hi Khawish may work with masses). At the same type, the film seems to carry a slower-paced, classier feel, which would work well the classes, as well as the dialogues, story, and possibly acting also working with the classes.
And, separately, what I feel may be the biggest plus point...
AKSHAY KUMAR'S ACTING!
By looking at the trailer, it seems as if Akshay Kumar has gotten into the skin of his character and I strongly feel that he will win tremendous appreciation for his acting! As a matter of fact, I will state that...AKSHAY KUMAR MIGHT GET SEVERAL NOMINATIONS/AWARDS FOR HIS ACTING IN THIS FILM AT AWARD SHOWS!
So, will the film work at the box office or no?
Akshay Kumar is one of the most inconsistent actors in Bollywood (talking purely in terms of box office). He can deliver a Blockbuster ROWDY RATHORE and then give Disaster JOKER two months later. But, I think that this film will do decent business, especially since the director Milan Luthria is very capable of making a well-liked film. With that being said, the film won't do well in each and every circuit of India. The film will obviously do strong business in Mumbai, and there are chances in North as well due to Akshay's presence. But, some other circuits in India may not be as strong as it is a Mumbai-based film. Also, let's see how much the CHENNAI EXPRESS wave affects the film.
The opening of OUATIMD will be decent, but not completely upto the mark, due to huge competition from CHENNAI EXPRESS. I originally felt that OUATIMD has potential to do 15+ crores on Day 1 (national holiday Independence Day), but there is problem in the amount of screens the film is getting due to CHENNAI EXPRESS wave, and BoxOfficeIndia says that OUATIMD might only do 6 crore on Day 1. So, I will have to just kinda take a guess this time!
My Box Office Predictions for OUATIMD:
Opening Day (Independence Day): 10 crores net
4-Day Opening Weekend (Thur-Sun): 30+ crores net
Lifetime Collections: 80+ crores net
Overall Box Office Verdict: Average
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