Going by the feedback that Ishaqzaade has received, the industry is quite upbeat about the arrival of the newest romantic pair on the big screen — Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra. In the meanwhile, Karisma Kapoor's comeback plans were dashed with Vikram Bhatt's Dangerous Ishq performing dismally.
While the makers of the first are said to have recovered their investments and earned over and above that, the trade is unanimous about the latter incurring a big loss to makers and distributors alike.
Pegging the first three days of the Arjun-Parineeti starrer at about Rs 16 crore, Komal Nahta says, "The initial is pretty good for a film with new actors. The music and the promotions definitely helped.
The producers have earned over Rs 12 crore from satellite rights; they've nothing to worry about." Ishaqzaade is believed to have cost producer Aditya Chopra about Rs 18 crore to make, including prints and advertising.
However, veteran trade analyst Amod Mehra is skeptical about its performance over the rest of the week.
"The unconventional end hasn't gone down too well with the audience," he observes. Dubbing the Karisma Kapoor film a disaster, Mehra states, "Everyone associated with the film will lose money." Nahta pegs the losses at Rs 20-22 crore.
Emraan Hashmi's Jannat 2 earned Rs 5 crore in its second weekend. Though the collections dropped from the fourth day onward, it apparently didn't affect the makers much.
A Delhi-based distributor, on condition of anonymity said, "The drop wasn't so much that it would be a cause for concern. Jannat 2 will yield an India distributor share of Rs 25 crore. Why worry?"
Among the Hollywood imports, Johnny Depp's Dark Shadows failed to impress even his die-hard fans in India. Even The Raid didn't get any notice.
As Girish Wankhede of a national multiplex chain says, "The average occupancy over the weekend was barely 10-12 per cent. Though the reviews were good, the awareness was low due to poor publicity. Comparatively, The Avengers saw sizeable numbers."
