World Cup mania makes a dent in the box office business, 'Roy' loses audience after recording 2015's biggest opening at Rs 9.25 crore
Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Rampal in a still from Roy
Cinemas across the city seem to be bearing the brunt of the World Cup fervour. Box office collections of currently running films took a nosedive last weekend, especially on Sunday as India successfully took on Pakistan in their WC opener.
Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Rampal in a still from 'Roy'
Of the two Hindi releases last Friday, 'Roy' managed to score maximum opening collections for this year at Rs 9.25 crore while the controversial 'MSG: The Messenger' had a miserable run.
Exhibitor Rajesh Thadani says: "'Roy' may have recorded the highest first day collections for this year but the word of mouth publicity has been poor affecting its business. Looking at this unfavourable trend, we are anticipating further drop in business. The maximum the film would be able to collect is Rs 40 crore. On the other hand, MSG's performance was dismal."
Despite mixed reviews, Roy's music was pivotal in drawing the audience to theatres on the first day, says trade analyst Amod Mehra. "The numbers fell by 20 per cent on Saturday rather surprisingly as it was Valentine's Day. The India-Pak match on Sunday crashed the film's collections. It is a big blow to the industry awaiting that elusive hit," he adds.
Exhibitors, too, are feeling the heat of the World Cup fever. Vishal Anand of Fun Cinemas says the box office business was hugely affected on Sunday till the match got over. "Whatever sales happened was only for Roy. The Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Baby' also managed to do well in its fourth week," he suggests.
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Rs 23.75 crore
'Roy' (first three days)
Rs 1.85 crore
'Shamitabh' (second week)
Overall: Rs 20.30 crore
Rs 1.75 crore
'Baby' (fourth week)
Overall: R76.35 crore
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