Last week's releases have had a dismal run at the box office. It may be pointed out that more than half a dozen films had released last week, including Desi Kattey, 3AM, Chaarfutiya Chhokare, Mainu Ek Ladki Chahiye, Balwinder Singh Famous Ho Gaya and Dear Vs Bear.
Vishal Anand of Fun Cinemas says, "Last week clocked one of the lowest collections in this financial year. Out of the films that had released, Khoobsurat and Daawat-e-Ishq led the pack while Desi Kattey, Chaarfutiya Chhokare and 3AM couldn't make any impact due to the fractured mandate and content quality."
Exhibitor Rajesh Thadani says that the total collection posted by seven films that released last week has merely crossed Rs 4 crore. "The highest grosser among them so far is Desi Kattey which collected around Rs 1.5 crore, while 3AM made around Rs 1.24 crore. The remaining films have earned just a few lakhs.
In fact, many cinemas cancelled their shows due to lack of audiences," he says.
Trade analyst Komal Nahata says that each release is a bigger disaster than the other. "All eyes are now on Bang Bang and Haider that will take on each other this week." Thadani adds that Khoobsurat did better than Daawat-e-Ishq last week. "Yet its collection was far below our expectations,'' he says. The total collection of Khoobsurat stands at Rs 21.85 crore whereas Daawat-e-Ishq has collected Rs 24.6 crore so far.
