Bollywood report card: the hits and misses of 2014 so far

Film distributor Girish Johar of Sahara Movie Studios says that while the first quarter of 2013 saw a Rs. 530cr turnover at the box office, this year, it has been around Rs. 475cr so far, with three more releases to go. "Films like Yariyaan, Jai Ho, Hasee Toh Phasee, Gunday and Queen did quite well. Ragini MMS 2, too, is gradually picking up business. Shaadi Ke Side Effects, Highway and Bewakoofiyaan all fared below average, and probably have just been able to break even," says Johar.

Trade analyst Atul Mohan feels that in terms of content, Quarter 1 has been dominated by a good balance of youth, music and sex. "The major cinema-going crowd today is young, so the films with a fresh overall packaging did well, while run-of-the-mill stuff didn't quite impress audiences," says Mohan.

With films such as Dedh Ishqiya and Gulaab Gang, women-oriented themes were the highlight of this quarter. However, film critic Komal Nahta feels that these, too, haven't been able to boost much of the box office revenue. "Apart from Queen, most of them failed to impress," he says. Agrees Mohan, saying, "The content (of the women-oriented films) were too dry, and some were badly made. Queen is the only successful one."