Has Vivek Oberoi lost his pull at B.O.
Vivek's latest release Jayanta Bhai Ki Luv Story had everything that was required to make a good product. But still, this film failed to make a cut at the B-O windows. The figures of the film at the ticket windows are much thinner and slimmer than the film's heroine Neha Sharma's waist. The film JUST about managed to gather around a poor 2-2.5 crores over the weekend.
When Bollywood Hungama spoke to a couple of distributors who have burnt their hands with this film, they tried to decode the reason behind the film's loss. Guru Shenoy, who handles the Mumbai circuit opined, "Jayanta Bhai...was a wrong release. With last week's films like Special 26 and ABCD also doing well, this film just didn't stand a chance. The promos looked interesting but Vivek doesn't have the draw any more to pull off a solo lead film".
Meanwhile, Manoharlal Sharma from Punjab, was very forthcoming in his opinion about the film's dismal performance. He said, "It was we who had released KLPD, which made around Rs. 6, 26,000 during the weekend, whereas Jayanta Bhai... had very pathetic collections of Rs. 2, 10,000 ONLY. The film is a total washout from the word go. The 'Brand' called Vivek today has lost himself totally, as compared to his heydays. One has to face the fact that the public has started disliking him because of the choice of films. If a film like Jayanta Bhai..., despite having the master filmmakers like Tips, doubled with the right amount of promotions and marketing, doesn't do well at the box-office, then, it really means some serious thinking on Vivek's part.
Meanwhile, an industry insider, who follows stars and their BO status, told us (on the condition of anonymity) that the real reason for the film's failure can be credited to the following reasons: shortage of screen space, extremely poor show timings, pathetic openings all over... to say the least. He signs off saying one just hopes that Vivek's forthcoming films (Zila Ghaziabad, Krrish 3 and Grand Masti) manage to hit gold on the silver screens; else 'Brand Vivek' will get transformed into 'Bland Vivek'!
With Vivek's solo releases failing to full audiences to the cinemas, what should be his new business strategy? Should Vivek completely stop doing solo films and be part of big multi-starrers only? Will doing strong character roles in big banner films help the actor to come back in action? Share your opinion with us in the comments section below.
Grand Masti hits the bull's eye, is a huge success story at the BO.
Friday the 13th is considered unlucky or inauspicious for some, but those associated with GRAND MASTI will never forget this date. Ever. Although the Friday gone by witnessed the release of three films [GRAND MASTI, JOHN DAY and HORROR STORY], GRAND MASTI emerged the clear winner by a wide margin, fetching the fourth biggest start of the year, after CHENNAI EXPRESS, YEH JAWAANI HAI DEEWANI and RACE-2. The massive start clearly reiterates the fact that films from the comic genre with a generous dosage of sex, skin show and sleaze never fails to entice audiences. Besides, I strongly feel, this genre can never fade into oblivion, while other genres resurface in cycles.
The first promo of GRAND MASTI had created ample buzz for this adult comedy. Adding to the enormous hype was the subsequent stay on release in a few states. Though the stay was vacated a day prior to its release, it did manage to give the film's promotion an unintended boost by drawing attention to the content of the film. Conversely, the early morning shows in those states were badly affected since a section of moviegoers were uncertain of its release/show timings. What also needs to be kept in mind is the fact that GRAND MASTI has its limitations thanks to the genre; you are *not* catering to a universal audience. Also, the release strategy was restricted to slightly over 2000 screens, with cineplexes performing 8 to 10 shows every day, thus avoiding an overkill. But the tremendous business only goes to prove that the audience verdict is full and final. The grand start also demonstrates *yet again* that there's a big disconnect between the audiences and critics, who gave this film 0 [zero] stars.
Now let's analyze the reasons that made the spectators throng the cineplexes and single screens. Sex sells and how... in this case, the adult humor, visual titillation and a young cast have drawn patrons in hordes. With a terrific start and a fab weekend on hand, it's safe to say that GRAND MASTI is all set to be a big success. While the audience is laughing at the jokes on screen, Indra Kumar, Ashok Thakeria and Eros, the worldwide distributors of GRAND MASTI, are laughing all the way to the bank.
While GRAND MASTI actors Aftab and Vivek may finally heave a sigh of relief, Riteish adds yet another Hit to his repertoire... GRAND MASTI is his sixth Hit in a row, after HOUSEFULL, DOUBLE DHAMAAL, TERE NAAL LOVE HO GAYA, HOUSEFULL-2 and KYAA SUPER KOOL HAIN HUM [not including F.A.L.T.U. here because the focus was on the youngsters, with Riteish enacting a pivotal part].
The other two releases, JOHN DAY and HORROR STORY, were totally sidelined thanks to the overwhelming response to GRAND MASTI. You may find this surprising, but the flying start of GRAND MASTI eclipsed the discussion of the remaining two releases within the industry. I am sure, even the makers of HORROR STORY and JOHN DAY weren't expecting the opponent' to have such an overpowering start.
In short, the year is proving to be one of the best years for film business. Varied genres are attracting audiences to cineplexes in hordes week after week. Aur kya chahiye?
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