LATEST POSITION | 28 December, 2019

DABANGG 3, which was expected to make a big bang at the box-office, proved a dampener. This week’s GOOD NEWWZ has brought good cheer as the trade prepares to bid goodbye to the year and to welcome the new year.

Dabangg 3 has disappointed the public and, therefore, the trade. The tension in different parts of the country and extreme cold in North India did take their toll on the collections but even otherwise, collections were not upto the mark because of lack of appreciation. The film was dubbed in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu also. All the four versions together netted Rs. 24.50 crore on the first day, which was good but not great. Collections dropped on Saturday which closed at Rs. 23.75 crore. Although the fall was only Rs. 0.75 crore, the alarming point was that collections dropped instead of picking up by 20-30%. The net total for Sunday was Rs. 30.50 crore, taking the first weekend’s total to Rs. 78.75 crore. Collections on the weekdays were average, except on Wednesday which was a holiday (Christmas). It netted Rs. 10.25 crore on Monday, Rs. 10 crore on Tuesday, Rs. 16 crore on Wednesday, and Rs. 7 crore on Thursday. By netting Rs. 43.25 crore in the weekdays, it took its first week’s total to Rs. 122 crore. Having crossed the Rs. 100-crore mark on the sixth day, the film will now struggle to keep itself going on each passing day of the second week. It will be difficult for the Salman starrer to even reach the Rs. 150-crore mark as advance booking in the big cities is poor.

Star Wars: Vijaypath (dubbed) and the English original titled Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker could not score in 1st week. It collected Rs. 1.20 crore on the first day. Collections increased to Rs. 1.55 crore on Saturday, but reduced to Rs. 1.40 crore on Sunday. After a weekend total of Rs. 4.15 crore, collections on the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 0.50 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.55 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.90 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.45 crore. By collecting a total of Rs. 2.40 crore in the weekdays, the film took its first week’s total to Rs. 6.55 crore.

Mardaani 2 held on very well in the second week. It netted Rs. 1.15 crore on the first day of the second weekend. Collections increased to Rs. 1.95 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 2.55 crore on Sunday. The second weekend, therefore, closed at a decent Rs. 5.65 crore. Collections got a boost on Christmas day but they were good even on the other weekdays: Monday – Rs. 1.25 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.45 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 2.50 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.30 crore. In this way, the film added Rs. 6.50 crore to its kitty in the weekdays and hence took its second week’s total to Rs. 12.15 crore. The grand total for 2 weeks was Rs. 40.20 crore. In just 12 days, the film surpassed the total of Mardaani (Rs. 35.85 crore).

Jumanji: The Next Level (dubbed) and the English original of the same name did well in 2nd week also. The second weekend started with a take of Rs. 1.20 crore. Saturday and Sunday collections showed jumps, with the days closing at Rs. 2.10 crore and Rs. 2.70 crore respectively. After a second weekend total of Rs. 6 crore, the collections during the weekdays were also good: Monday – Rs. 1.40 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.75 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 3 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.60 crore. By adding Rs. 7.75 crore in the weekdays, the film took its second week’s total to Rs. 13.75 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 49.32 crore.

Pati Patni Aur Woh was quite badly affected by the big release, Dabangg 3. It started its third weekend on a low note by netting Rs. 0.70 crore on Friday. Collections on Saturday and Sunday increased to Rs. 1.20 crore and Rs. 1.50 crore respectively. Therefore, the film netted Rs. 3.40 crore in the third weekend. Collections in the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 0.95 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.03 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.80 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.78 crore. By netting Rs. 4.56 crore in the weekdays, the film took its total for the third week to Rs. 7.96 crore. Its grand total for 3 weeks was Rs. 82.21 crore.