Three films opened yesterday (25th October), in the Diwali week. Although yesterday and today (26th October) are dull for the box-office as they are pre-Diwali days when attendance in cinemas is low, the producers of the three films preferred to bring their films before the public on Friday itself rather than two days later to coincide with the Diwali festival.
Of the three films, Housefull 4 is the most appropriate film for the Diwali week because it is a happy film. The comic fare will have the maximum number of people watching it from among all the festive releases this year as people prefer watching happy films at festival time. Made In China is also being promoted as a comedy and hence it is also appropriate for the festival of lights. The third film, Saand Ki Aankh, may have opened this week but it is the least fit for Diwali because it has very little to attract the audience to the cinemas, that too, during the festival period.
This means, in the first week, the festive holidays will benefit Housefull 4 the maximum. The film may collect around Rs. 10-12 crore more by virtue of coming in the festival week. Hence, despite being a very ordinary fare, the advantage that will accrue to the fourth film in the Housefull franchise because of the Diwali festival will be substantial. On the other hand, Diwali will not help Saand Ki Aankh as much as it would have, had the film been one of fun and frolic or a romantic drama. But being a woman-centric fare, that too, not a comedy or a light-hearted drama, it may actually stand to lose as it will have to face the stiff opposition posed by Housefull 4. Had the public reports of Made In China been strong, even that comedy would’ve adversely affected the collections of Saand Ki Aankh.
So what will happen is this: Housefull 4 will benefit in spite of not carrying good reports, because it has opened in the Diwali festival period. And notwithstanding the fair reports of Saand Ki Aankh, it may not get much advantage of the festival of lights as it is not the rightest film for a festival release. As for Made In China, the film is turning out to be a flop — and it would have been no different had it opened on Diwali or even a day after Diwali.