All Movie Reviews of ’Om Shanti Om’ Here. - Page 6

Indian duo outroars 'Lions' overseas

'Shanti,' 'Saawariya' top international box office

By DAVE MCNARY

Bollywood stole the spotlight from Tom Cruise's "Lions for Lambs" at the international box office over the weekend, with a pair of socko launches for Shah Rukh Khan's "Om Shanti Om" and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Saawariya."

"Lions for Lambs" launched with a $10.3 million take from 2,681 playdates in 45 foreign markets -- but that number was easily topped by "Om Shanti Om" and "Saawariya," both of which bowed in India taking advantage of the Diwali holiday.

Eros Intl.'s "Om Shanti Om," a tribute to the 1970s era in Bollywood, took in roughly $17 million in India while Sony's musical-romance "Saawariya" finished with $14.4 million at 754.

"Om Shanti Om" also took in $1.5 million at 114 the United States while "Saawariya" generated $600,000 in the U.S., $340,000 in the U.K. and $100,000 in Australia.

The stunning numbers for both pics comes two months after Sony pacted with Eros -- the leading Indian movie group -- for a multipicture production and distribution deal that encompasses six to eight movies in the first year of the agreement (Daily Variety, Sept. 19).

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975772.html?categoryId= 19&cs=1

Om Shanti Om wins overseas

Arthur J Pais

Crushing the opening records of such mammoth hits as Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna , Shah Rukh Khan emerged as the new champ as his film Om Shanti Om grossed $1.5 million in just three days in America and Canada. KANK had grossed about $1.35 million over a year ago.

The new hit, which is in 117 theatres in North America, is expected to post bigger numbers from the United Kingdom. The three-day gross in North America, the United Kingdom, UAE, and Australia could easily exceed (for a Indian film) a jaw-dropping $4 million. No Hindi language film has played so wide in North America as OSO. Usually, films with big stars play in about 70 theatres.

The industry was also pleasantly surprised with the $600,000 gross for Saawariya which was in 85 theatres in North America. Despite many people grumbling that the film is too long and has a weak climax, the word of mouth for the Sanjay Leala Bhansali movie hasn't been all that bad.

Many viewers said that Saawariya, arguably the most gorgeous film ever made in Bollywood, also has a few other commendable things; newcomer Sonam Kapoor is sensuous, delightful and carries herself with dignity, Salman Khan is quite intriguing as the mysterious man in her life, and 95-year-old Zohra Segal as the lonely woman who finds love once again gives a glowing performance. Rani Mukerji cannot be ignored either. She looks fab and acts with verve.

OSO was 14th on the box office chart led by Bee Movie which grossed $26 million in its second weekend. Saawariya was at number 23 on the chart. The fast fading The Darjeeling Limited at number 20; its total gross reaching $9.8 million.

http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/12box.htm

Australia Box Office
November 15–18, 2007
(US $1 = 1.1206 Australian Dollar)

< Prev Return to Index Next >
TW LW Movie Studio Weekend Gross Change Theaters Change / Avg. Gross-to-Date Week
1 N Elizabeth: The Golden Age UPI $1,199,860 - 246 - $4,877 $1,223,555 1
2 N Fred Claus WB $819,507 - 214 - $3,829 $828,433 1
3 1 Death at a Funeral Icon $728,073 -19.1% 180 +1 $4,045 $8,298,084 6
4 3 The Game Plan Disney $463,340 -40.8% 201 -11 $2,305 $2,900,085 3
5 N Gabriel (2007) Sony $417,945 - 98 - $4,265 $417,945 1
6 4 30 Days of Night Icon $382,170 -46.3% 137 - $2,790 $1,360,148 2
7 2 Lions for Lambs Fox $373,895 -54.6% 249 +1 $1,502 $1,489,188 2
8 - The Heartbreak Kid PPI $359,148 - 201 - $1,787 $389,217 -
9 5 Rogue Roadshow $329,308 -44.8% 170 - $1,937 $1,093,405 2
10 6 Saw IV Hoyts $187,521 -54.6% 168 -33 $1,116 $4,074,230 4
11 7 Good Luck Chuck Sony $166,369 -52.4% 113 -34 $1,472 $2,463,398 4
12 8 Michael Clayton Roadshow $131,500 -54.4% 92 -29 $1,429 $2,763,768 5

13 9 Om Shanti Om Eros $82,421 -51.2% 12 - $6,868 $314,495 2 👏

14 11 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford WB $75,794 -42.3% 32 - $2,369 $533,702 3
15 13 Eastern Promises Roadshow $67,277 -42.8% 44 -3 $1,529 $888,727 4
16 15 Across the Universe Sony $52,757 -45.9% 50 -1 $1,055 $403,949 3
17 17 The Bourne Ultimatum UPI $45,521 -42.9% 29 -4 $1,570 $19,404,092 12
18 19 Dialogue avec mon jardinier Rialto $44,666 -28.2% 17 - $2,627 $149,309 2
19 12 Hairspray (2007) Roadshow $40,077 -67.5% 86 -77 $466 $14,546,989 10
20 10 Grindhouse: Death Proof Roadshow $34,323 -76.8% 52 -93 $660 $735,888 3

- 16 Saawariya Sony $29,965 -68.2% 17 - $1,763 $152,164 2

boxofficemojo

United Kingdom Box Office
November 16–18, 2007
(US $1 = 0.4868 British Pound Sterling)

< Prev Return to Index Next >
TW LW Movie Studio Weekend Gross Change Theaters Change / Avg. Gross-to-Date Week
1 N American Gangster UPI $5,268,802 - 410 - $12,851 $5,268,802 1
2 N Beowulf WB $4,518,998 - 454 - $9,954 $4,518,998 1
3 3 Ratatouille BVI $1,926,372 -26.2% 493 -2 $3,907 $47,279,608 6
4 2 Stardust PPI $1,854,357 -30.6% 449 -10 $4,130 $26,026,578 5
5 1 Good Luck Chuck Lions Gate $1,527,157 -44.5% 382 +3 $3,998 $5,312,773 2
6 4 Elizabeth: The Golden Age UPI $934,698 -51.9% 394 -59 $2,372 $8,461,335 3
7 5 30 Days of Night Icon $841,713 -52.6% 331 -54 $2,543 $7,776,584 3

8 7 Om Shanti Om Eros $513,804 -52.6% 51 -1 $10,075 $1,997,013 2 👏 👏 👏

9 6 Lions for Lambs Fox $496,557 -63.9% 378 -26 $1,314 $2,543,952 2
10 N Brick Lane Optimum $400,051 - 92 - $4,348 $400,051 1
11 8 Saw IV Lions Gate $337,290 -65.4% 229 -110 $1,473 $12,727,944 4
12 10 Into the Wild PPI $256,370 -37.7% 83 -1 $3,089 $910,259 2
13 9 Eastern Promises Pathe $116,436 -73.4% 991 +811 $117 $4,131,304 4
14 N The Jane Austen Book Club Sony $102,818 - 106 - $970 $102,818 1
15 17 Nancy Drew WB $99,846 -32.0% 167 -46 $598 $1,649,772 5

16 12 Saawariya Sony $98,336 -70.8% 41 -7 $2,398 $554,271 2

boxofficemojo

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE[USA]
November 16–18, 2007

'Beowulf' Can't Fell Box Office Blahs...

click here to
Read the Full Report > > >


<<Last Weekend <Last Year View Index
TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Beowulf Par. $27,515,871 - 3,153 - $8,726 $27,515,871 $150 1
2 1 Bee Movie P/DW $14,008,444 -45.2% 3,984 +40 $3,516 $93,570,695 $150 3
3 2 American Gangster Uni. $12,875,250 -46.4% 3,110 +51 $4,139 $100,650,615 $100 3
4 3 Fred Claus WB $11,914,323 -35.7% 3,603 - $3,306 $35,712,980 - 2
5 N Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Fox $9,630,085 - 3,164 - $3,043 $9,630,085 - 1
6 5 Dan in Real Life BV $4,343,185 -27.6% 1,901 -40 $2,284 $36,931,806 - 4
7 15 No Country for Old Men Mira. $3,075,722 +150.8% 148 +120 $20,781 $4,907,572 - 2
8 4 Lions for Lambs UA $2,896,594 -56.8% 2,216 +1 $1,307 $11,584,339 - 2
9 6 Saw IV LGF $2,248,805 -54.6% 2,097 -807 $1,072 $61,766,718 - 4
10 N Love in the Time of Cholera NL $1,924,860 - 852 - $2,259 $1,924,860 - 1
11 7 The Game Plan BV $1,205,957 -51.0% 1,374 -787 $877 $87,401,619 - 8
12 12 Michael Clayton WB $1,037,020 -38.9% 695 -455 $1,492 $37,181,294 - 7
13 17 Bella RAtt. $1,025,753 +11.6% 457 +181 $2,244 $5,085,924 - 4
14 8 30 Days of Night Sony $938,612 -56.8% 915 -781 $1,025 $39,129,207 $30 5
15 16 Into the Wild ParV $862,534 -21.9% 511 -79 $1,687 $13,900,648 - 9
16 9 P2 Sum. $851,387 -59.1% 1,938 -193 $439 $3,622,779 - 2
17 14 Gone Baby Gone Mira. $813,036 -43.7% 530 -427 $1,534 $18,407,770 - 5
18 13 Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married LGF $800,835 -45.3% 629 -279 $1,273 $54,378,104 - 6

19 11 Om Shanti Om Eros $756,342 -57.1% 114 - $6,634 $2,892,773 - 2 👏 👏

20 22 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead Think $696,189 +5.4% 176 +53 $3,955 $2,222,404 - 4
21 18 Across the Universe SonR $565,548 -37.3% 464 -118 $1,218 $23,317,663 - 10
22 20 The Darjeeling Limited FoxS $540,597 -38.6% 285 -101 $1,896 $10,235,394 - 8
23 21 Lars and the Real Girl MGM $506,556 -27.9% 244 -42 $2,076 $4,143,274 $12 6
24 10 Martian Child NL $482,672 -73.8% 748 -1,272 $645 $7,215,002 - 3
25 28 Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure (IMAX) NGC $247,481 -14.8% 60 -33 $4,124 $3,803,479 - 7
26 25 After Dark's Horrorfest 2 ADF $221,336 -55.9% 242 -81 $914 $874,635 - 2
27 23 The Comebacks FoxA $206,491 -63.5% 358 -336 $576 $13,083,871 - 5
28 29 Lust, Caution Focus $154,415 -36.0% 77 -34 $2,005 $4,022,842 $15 8

29 24 Saawariya Sony $150,208 -72.3% 85 - $1,767 $805,054 - 2

boxofficemojo

Overseas Update-20th November 13.00 IST

Figures for weekend 16/11/07-18/11/07

Om Shanti Om

UK-250,120 Total 972,146 Blockbuster 👏

USA-$756,352 Total $2,892,773 All Time Blockbuster 👏



Saawariya

UK-47,870 Total 269,819 Flop

USA-$150,208 Total $805,084 Average



The 10 day billings overseas are

Om Shanti Om-28 crore 👏

Saawariya-8 crore


boxofficeindia

Om Shanti Om first week-17/11/07 09.00 IST

Om Shanti Om has simply seen an incredible first week at the box office. It has set new first week highs in every circuit of India and never have we seen so many theatre and city records broken by a single film.

The first week circuit nett billings are just huge as Mumbai crosses the 16 crore mark, Delhi/UP has touches 7.50 crore and East Punjab is around 3 crore. The all first week all India business is around the 41 crore mark.

The film has gone into second week with all its theatres in play. Shockingly the biggest of films loses digital screens in second week but Om Shanti Om goes into week 2 with 440 digital/UFO screens which is the same as first week.



The second week will also see the film smashing records. 👏


boxofficeindia

http://www.boxofficeindia.com/chart.htm


OSO collects Rs. 40,19,00,000 from 878 cinemas while Saawariya collects Rs. 19,73,00,000 from 661 cinemas.

Box Office Mojo - Om Shanti Om

Domestic Total as of Nov. 18, 2007: $2,892,773 (Estimate)

Domestic: $2,892,773 13.7% + Foreign: $18,174,637 86.3% = Worldwide: $21,067,410

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=omshantiom.htm

OSO takes excellent opening

November 12, 2007 1:33:29 PM IST
Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

Released on close to 1000 prints in India alone, OM SHANTI OM has taken an excellent opening (as expected) and is raking in good moolah as the weekend is progressing.

As things stand today, collections are almost 100% percent though on Friday it was lower (70%-80%) at places due to Diwali festivities keeping people at home. Still, audiences have been storming the theaters with vengeance on Saturday and the same was expected on Sunday too since the word of mouth was positive.

Those who have seen the film are terming it as a one time watch at the least with sequences like the 'Filmfare awards' and '31 stars Deewangee' even bringing in patrons for a repeat viewing.

Now it has to be seen if the film sustains the same way for the remainder of the weekend as well. If it doesn't fall more than 20%-30% from Monday onwards, it would be all set to turn out to be amongst the top biggies (CHAK DE INDIA, PARTNER) of the year!

http://www.glamsham.com/movies/scoops/07/nov/12_om_shanti_om _partner_chak_de_india_110703.asp


Spoof 'Om Shanti Om' takes a Diwali bow

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A spoof of Bollywood in the 1970s, inspired by a tacky reincarnation saga, has swept aside a tragic romance based on a Fyodor Dostoevsky story since they opened last week as two of the biggest Indian movies of the year. "Om Shanti Om" and "Saawariya" have been the most eagerly awaited recent releases for the world's largest film industry by ticket sales, which has struggled to match the highs it hit in 2005 and 2006.

Massive pre-release publicity campaigns, coupled with the fact both scheduled their openings for the weekend of Diwali -- the Hindu festival of lights and the year's most-important movie season -- pitted them directly against each other even though their themes had little in common.

"Om Shanti Om" is the story of a struggling junior actor who is killed. He is reborn to become a star who goes on to seek the killer and his lady love from the previous birth.

Sony Pictures' "Saawariya", one of the first Bollywood films to be funded by a Hollywood studio, is a love story based on Dostoevsky's "White Nights", where a chance meeting of a boy and a girl leads to unrequited love and heartbreak. The verdict, from both the critics and the box office, is clearly in favour of "Om Shanti Om", which has Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood's most bankable star, in the lead.

"OSO is a very, very big hit," said trade analyst Taran Adarsh, referring to the popular reference being used for "Om Shanti Om".

"It is a complete time-pass, spicy, value-for-money story. It is good entertainment."

"Saawariya on the other hand is on a shaky wicket. It is not doing too well, the story is too thin and does not grip people," he said.

MATCHING FESTIVITIES

"Om Shanti Om", Adarsh said, matched the festival mood as people wanted to "chill out" with their families during the biggest Hindu celebrations of the year.

Choreographer-turned-filmmaker Farah Khan uses the plot to showcase Bollywood in the 1970s, the best decade for the industry according to some critics, revive memories of old stars and poke fun at their melodrama and eccentricities. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Saawariya's quirky director, is known in Bollywood for his extravagant productions and obsession with grandeur but even he had gone over the top, critics said.

"One of the reasons Saawariya does not work is because you cannot have a depressing scenario during Diwali," Adarsh said of the film some critics have panned as being too much style over substance and without a strong element of drama. While niche audiences could find some charm in a tragic romance, the masses would be unable to identify with the theatre-like settings, a mishmash of early 20th century Paris and Venice.

"If you want beauty, you can get it for free watching a sunset, visiting an art gallery," veteran Bollywood critic Khalid Mohamed wrote in the Hindustan Times newspaper. "In cinema, like it or not, style (form!) has to be allied with content. Here it's conspicuous by its absence."

http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-304516200711 12


Shah Rukh beats Tom Cruise

Arthur J Pais
November 12, 2007 17:59 IST

Shah Rukh Khan and writer-director Farah Khan exceeded the wildest forecasts as they not only beat the Tom Cruise, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep starring political drama Lions for Lambs over the weekend outside America but also propelled their Om Shanti Om into world movie history. The film grossed a mighty $17 million gross in India and an estimated $4 million in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the UAE. Ken Naz, who runs distribution company Eros International in North America, called the phenomenon a high watermark for Indian movie industry. OSO could exceed the $3 million mark set by each Kabhi Alvida Naa Kahna and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gam in North America and the United Kingdom. Shah Rukh featured in those films, too well.

Shah Rukh Khan produced OSO was the highest grossing film outside North America, followed closely by the boldly successful Sanjay Leela Bhansali's intensely romantic Saawariya, the first film the Hollywood giant Sony made with an Indian producer. The film, which too performed far beyond the expectations, grossed $14.4 million in India, according to Sony. In North America, Australia, the United Kingdom and the UAE, it mesmerized an impressive $1.2 million.

The grand success of two Indian films caught the attention of leading publications ranging from The Washington Post to Variety, the influential trade publication.
Variety declared that 'Bollywood stole the spotlight from Tom Cruise's Lions for Labs at the international box office over the weekend, with a pair of socko launches for Om Shanti Om and Saawariya.' While Lions for Lambs launched with a $10.3 million in 45 foreign markets that number was easily topped by the two Indian films each showing in less than a dozen markets.

It was also the first time in recent Indian movie history two very big films opened with huge numbers the same weekend. Such a phenomenon is not uncommon in Hollywood. For instance, 10 days ago American Gangster opened with $43 million, and the animated comedy Bee Movie sucked in $39 million.

While many critics had welcomed OSO as a lively crime comedy, they were harsh on Saawariya calling it meandering and boring. But the audiences thought the opposite. Even if the film were to come down mightily in the next few weeks, it could still prove to be profitable, trade insiders say. Its opening weekend success was even more impressive than that of OSO since the film had newcomers Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in the lead.

In North America, OSO, which was No. 12 on the box-office chart led by Bee Movie's $26 million in its second week, the crime comedy took in $1.5 million making it not the highest grossing Hindi film of all time, beating KANK's $1.3 million. But while the latter produced and directed by Karan Johar also starred Shah Rukh, it had a huge cast comprising Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee, OSO was a solo show for Shah Rukh who was cast opposite debutante Deepika Padukone.

The film also had a widest opening for an Indian film in North America with the distributor Eros International taking up 117 theaters. Usually star-driven Hindi films open in 70 theaters. In many cities including Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, several shows went full on Saturday.

Sony too gave Saawariya, which opened the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in New York on Thursday, a big release, unleashing it in 85 theaters in North America. It generated $600,000 in the U.S., $340,000 in the U.K. and $100,000 in Australia, according to the distributor. 'The stunning numbers for both pics comes two months after Sony pacted with Eros -- the leading Indian movie group -- for a multipicture production and distribution deal that encompasses six to eight movies in the first year of the agreement,' Variety wrote.

http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/12us.htm


SRK scores over Salman

The people have spoken and how.

Farah Khan's tribute to the 1970s cinema, Om Shanti Om, is an entertainer that's on its way to becoming a big hit.

However, the other big release did not do too well over the weekend. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's fairy tale-like love story, Saawariya failed to connect with the audience, and is set to be a major flop.

Note: Films are ranked according to their release dates. The thumbs ups and downs reflect rediff's views.

Om Shanti Om

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shreyas Talpade, Arjun Rampal.
Director: Farah Khan.
+Masala fare, with plenty of laughs.

-Threadbare plot.

Number of weeks: New.
BO Verdict: Opens very well.

FI R on Diwali Releases!

By Moviebuzz | Monday, 12 November , 2007, 09:53

It is early days, but the First Information Report (FIR) on Diwali films four days after its release, clearly indicate that it is going to be a lukewarm festival season. There are no super hits, and the public opinion on the Diwali releases is not very encouraging.

Added to that, super hit films (Ghilli, Godfather, Madurai, E, Dishum, Chennai-60028) on television and India-Pak ODI at Mohali on Diwali day and later Kanpur ODI on Sunday, ate into box-office collections of Tamil films.

And in Chennai city the demand for Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om was more than any other Diwali releases, though it was playing in four screens!

http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14558826


New kids no match for King Khan

12 Nov, 2007, 1842 hrs IST,Meenakshi Verma ,TNN

NEW DELHI: Riding high on huge marketing spends, the two big ticket movies —Om Shanti Om (OSO) and Saawariya managed good openings over the weekend. However, movie-buffs are gradually choosing King Khan's home production over Sony's first Indian co-production , say multiplex players.

According to Sony Pictures India, Saawariya's first day collections were over Rs 19 crore, the highest collection for any Hindi movie with new comers. "Going by the response we have received so far, we believe that Sawaariya will have box office collections of over Rs 50 crore in first three days," said a spokesperson for Sony Pictures India. Saawariya which was made with an estimated budget of Rs 35 crore, was released across 1,034 screens worldwide.

Eros Multimedia, which had bought distribution rights for OSO for Rs 75 crore, believes the movie has had a phenomenal opening. The distributor is in the process of collating data and did not give any box office revenue figures for the first weekend .

When contacted Eros's vice-president-India distribution Raj Malik said: "We have broken all records and it is difficult to give a ball-point figure at this stage. However, the success of the movie can be gauged by the fact that revenues earned by OSO in major film territories in the first two days have surpassed the box office collections made by a successful movie like Partner in the first week."

Mr Malik said Partner had collected over Rs 60 crore in the first week, while OSO is estimated to have posted similar revenues in some of the major circuits in the first two days. OSO was released across 1,400 screens worldwide. Multiplex industry players confirmed that OSO is leading the race. In fact, in certain territories, the number of enquiries for Saawariya have dipped and tickets cancelled.

Says PVR Cinemas' chief marketing officer Gautam Dutta: "OSO is generating an estimated 20% higher revenues than Saawariya in our theatres. But the huge marketing spends ensured a good opening for both the movies." Agreed Adlabs Cinemas' COO Tushar Dhingra: "Both the movies have been received well. OSO seems to be leading in box office revenues as of now."

Industry observers said even for OSO, the challenge would be to sustain its performance on the box office for long. "The most important question is whether the huge marketing spends made by the distributors and higher ticket prices being charged by movie houses can be justified, since both the movies lack original content ," said a production house executive.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Me dia__Entertainment_/Entertainment/New_kids_no_match_for_King _Khan/articleshow/2535993.cms


Om Shanti Om has managed extraordinary business in the overseas circuit. The collections are very similar to the biggest opener ever Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna in the local currencies but when converted into rupees the collections fall around 2 crore short of record grosser and opener Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. This is due to the strength of the rupee over the last year.

Om Shanti Om has notched up nearly 15 crore Overseas in three days. Estimated collections from the three big centres are UK-4 crore, USA-5.75 crore and UAE-2.25 crore. The trade is estimating around 40 crore+ business from the overseas market which would make the film an All Time Blockbuster in the circuit.

Saawariya has managed fair business overseas of about 6 crore with UK contributing 1.75 crore, 2.25 crore from USA and UAE giving 75 lakh

source www.boxofficeindia.com


UK numbers for the weekend

7. Om Shanti Om 518 845
Approx. $1.069 million

12. Saawariya 160 985

http://www.allocine.co.uk/boxoffice/boxofficedetail.html?pay s=5004


It's final: OSO wins Saawariya loses

The SRK-Farah Khan combo is setting new box office records

Johnny Vaz | Buzz18
Last updated : Nov 12, 2007 email

After the lavish publicity and hype created around the two biggest releases of the year, the box office verdict is out. Farha Khan's Om Shanti Om has won the box office battle against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya hands down. OSO has managed to collect more business than Saawariya. Even the critical and audience response has been favourable towards the SRK starrer. OSO has taken the year's biggest opening surpassing that of Sohail Khan's Partner. The film opened to a record shatterin 95-100% response all over with 2000 prints (including digital prints) released.

According to reports in the trade circle, the reports of OSO are in fact very positive from all parts of the country and is poised to be an all-India hit. Saawariya may not have opened as well as Om Shanti Om but the opening is still amongst the best of 2007. The film had collections of 95-100% at multiplexes while single screens were around 80-85%.

Trade pundit, J Popat says, "OSO is the winner all over the world. Be it India or overseas. It will collect 100 % collections in the first week. I can't predict the business of OSO, but can cross the 200-crore figure. Industry insiders were scoffing at Eros International when they acquired a 45 crore movie for 75 crore. Now I think the 75 crore will be recovered in the first week itself. Regarding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya, it is a disaster. It has opened well but will collect 70 per cent in the first week.".

Another trade pundit Amod Mehra predicts, "OSO will collect around 95 % and Saawariya will be around 75 % in the first week. In my opinion the collection of Jab We Met will increase from this weekend because of the Saawariya disaster. OSO will be strong in the 2nd week also because of Saawariya and no releases. I think OSO will crosss 70 plus figure in the first week itself. The collections of OSO in UK has crossed 1 million and 1.25 million in the US. For Saawariya the collections in UK and US is only 40 per cent. It looks like SRK's fourth best hit of the decade after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham. The reason Saawariya was not accepted by the audience is that the movie is not a love story but a one-sided love story."

However, Manoj Desai of G 7 theatre, Mumbai, says, "Apart from Saawariya, my audience in G 7 also not liking OSO as well. Collection-wise, OSO has beaten Saawariya. We were selling tickets of the 12.00pm Saawariya show well after 12.30pm. On Friday itself, during the interval some people who cam to watch the movie were asking the address of the producers, directors and actors of both the movies so that they can give them some advice".

Abhijit Mhamunkar, journalist and film critic says, "Both OSO and Saawariya had been very high on hype with record-breaking amount spent on their promotions. With 24/7 hammering of both these films on all available media, the curiosity had reached its peak amongst the audience by the time these both films were about to release. That, coupled with the individual fan following for those associated with these films, OSO and Saawariya had almost all the shows for the first three days, especially in the multiplexes, booked full in advance.

On the opening day itself the verdict was clear and loud. OSO had emerged as the audience favourite as compared to Saawariya. OSO being a thorough entertainer as compared to the artistically made Saawariya made the difference as during Diwali period the audience expects to have fun at the cinemas and not go through a slow-paced film with an unexpected ending. With a weak word of mouth the Sanjay Leela Bhansali films stands to lose its ground in the following days ahead by the time the week ends. Next week this will benefit OSO immensely as it has no competition. OSO distributors had paid the heaviest price for any Bollywood film - Rs 75 crore. They stand to recover their investment plus profits in a matter of 4-5 weeks if the OSO euphoria continues.

http://www.buzz18.com/news/movies/its-final-oso-wins-saawari ya-loses/26432/0



OSO holds fort, Saawariya sees drastic drop

By ROHINI BHANDARI
12 November 2007, 10:57 PM

MUMBAI: Last week saw the release of two much hyped movies of the year - Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya.

One was director Farah Khan's second film starring Shah Rukh Khan and model turned actress Deepika Padukone and the other was Bhansali's fifth film with debutants Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor.

Now the wait is over and the results are out! On Friday, both movies started on a slightly low note at select places (like North India), considering that it was Diwali. On Saturday both movies ran houseful but word of mouth publicity worked in Om Shanti Om's favour. Eventually, Om Shanti Om proved its power at the box office. Saawariya on the other hand has not succeeded in putting up a great show.

On Monday, Om Shanti Om ran with 80 per cent occupancy at a few multiplexes and as high as 95 – 100 per cent in others. On the other hand, Saawariya saw a drastic drop with as little as 20 per cent occupancy in some multiplexes and 40 per cent at some others.

"Saawariya was houseful on Saturday but dropped by 10 -15 per cent on Sunday itself, which was highly unexpected considering that Sunday is a movie day and any movie manages to do well on that day," says a programming head of a multiplex chain on condition of anonymity.

At most multiplexes both movies are running with equal shows. But at some, Saawariya has more shows than Om Shanti Om and vice versa. Further, since Om Shanti Om was carrying better reviews than Saawariya, some multiplexes opted to increase the number of shows for Om Shanti Om at few properties. For instance, Fame Inorbit has as many as 15 shows of Om Shanti Om and 12 of Saawariya. "We added a few early morning shows because there was a lot of demand for Om Shanti Om from the audiences and people do not mind coming in early and paying lesser money for tickets," says Fame Cinemas programming head Aditya Shroff.

Similarly Cinemax (Versova) too is running an 8.30 am show. However this coming weekend may see a further decline in the number of Saawariya's shows and also prints at multiplexes.

http://www.businessofcinema.com/boc/?file=story&id=5793