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KILL DILL has expectations riding on it. Ranveer Singh after the much acclaimed LOOTERA, 100 crore success RAM LEELA, and GUNDAY which did fairly well at the box office. The on-screen return of Govinda, who had a huge fan following amongst the masses and was one of the top stars of his time. Parineeti Chopra, who has received box office success and major appreciation for her performances for the majority of her films. Ali Zaffar also stars in this film produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by Shaad Ali. KILL DILL is Shaad Ali's fourth film as a director after SAATHIYA, BUNTY AUR BABLI, and JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM.
KILL DILL does look like a massy film that can keep the audience engaged. The performances, the comedy, the dialogues, the steamy scenes (there is said to be a Ranveer-Parineeti kissing scene in the film, as well as Parineeti wearing a swimsuit), the action, the songs...it does seem like a film that has entertainment for the masses. The old-style vibe of the film can appeal well with those who relished mass entertainers of decades ago and Govinda can also attract these old-school fans as well, and the potential classiness the film may carry (the somewhat English title which is inspired by the title of Hollywood film "KILL BILL") as the director's previous films have carried an urban flavour which can potentially work with the multiplex audience for KILL DILL.
However, there are drawbacks. The biggest thing that comes to my mind immediately is that earlier this year, GUNDAY which had a much bigger scale, hype, hit songs, Priyanka Chopra and Arjun Kapoor, was just a Semi-Hit and finished with lifetime collections in the 70 crore range. Keeping that in mind and all the above mentioned factors that make KILL DILL smaller in comparison to GUNDAY, I feel that KILL DILL will finish with lifetime collections in the 60 crore range and be an Average fare.
Masala-style films with relatively newer stars (Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor) tend to do business of less than 100 crores at the box office. I feel that it's because the audience likes seeing the established heroes who have been here for decades (Salman, SRK, Aamir, Akshay, Ajay, etc) do masala films and that's why their masala films are capable of being real big grossers. It's not the same case with these relatively newer stars who audience doesn't seem to enjoy as much in these masala-type films.
It will be interesting to see what kind of opening day collection KILL DILL gets. Ranveer Singh's last two films (RAM LEELA and GUNDAY) have done opening day collection of 16 crores, but those two films had many other factors going for them too such as superstar heroines (Deepika/Priyanka), bigger hit music, grander scale, etc. Nontheless, KILL DILL should still get a strong opening day as Ranveer Singh is a star and has a strong fan following.
The WOM (Word of Mouth) for the film will be Mixed, more towards the positive side though. Director Shaad Ali himself has had a mixed track record in terms of box office and appreciation from the audience for his films as SAATHIYA was appreciated by many and did fairly well at the box office, BUNTY AUR BABLI was a box office success, but then JHOOM BARABAR JHOOM had a very negative WOM and was a box office flop. But I believe KILL DILL will have a Mixed WOM leaning more towards the positive side.
This may be a case where an actor brings in the audience but another actor outshines him in the film. Meaning, Ranveer Singh may draw the audience to the theatres, but Govinda may get maximum appreciation for his acting in the film and he may be considered the show-stealer by many. Another case I remember this happening was with WELCOME, where Akshay Kumar brought in the audience to the theatres but many considered Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar to be the show-stealers of the film.
There is the Saif Ali Khan-Govinda starrer HAPPY ENDING releasing next week which would affect the collections of KILL DILL. The weeks after also have a major release almost every week until the year ends. KILL DILL basically has one open week at the box office.
My Box Office Predictions for KILL DILL:
Opening Day: 12 crores
Opening Weekend: 35 crores
Lifetime Collections: 60 crores
Overall Box Office Verdict: Average
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