Namastey London, Guru: 2007's only hits so far
- rediff.com
After Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar may save the day. After all, his Namastey London - released a week ago - is the only other film that has done well at the box office in the first quarter of 2007, apart from Abhishek's Guru, out in January.
"The year has begun on a disappointing note at the box office," says Vinod Mirani, trade analyst.
"Barring Guru, no other film has been a universal hit, so Namastey London has come as a breather," confirms Taran Adarsh, editor, Indiafm.com and film trade analyst.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd and Traffic Signal were the other two films that did well in certain pockets.
The biggest disappointments of the year so far have been Nikhil Advani's Salaam-E-Ishq, Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Eklavya and Ram Gopal Varma's Nishabd. Among the smaller disappointments were 1971 and Just Married.
But analysts expect the summer releases - beginning with Yash Raj Films' Ta Ra Rum Pum - to help change things for the better. Besides, cricket World Cup fever will be over by the end of April.
Unlike 2006, when more than two dozen films made money at the box office, this year has had a slow start. The biggest 2006 grosser was Dhoom 2, which made Rs 165 crore, followed by Lage Raho Munna Bhai at Rs 125 crore. Other big hits were Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, Phir Hera Pheri and Golmaal. Even small films like Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Khosla Ka Ghosla did decent business.
But Vipul Shah, director of Namastey London, is hopeful about this year. "Things will change in the summer of 2007 as many good films are lined up for release. The big hits of 2006 were in the last two quarters of the year. I hope that will happen this year too. Films like Jodha Akbar, Saawariya and Chak De India are up for release, so I am optimistic."
Domestic Box Office Analysis
by: Joginder Tuteja, IndiaGlitz
In it's 10th week, GURU has collected another 10 lakhs and though the numbers may look on a lower side now when compared to its overall total of 41.5 crores +, the fact cannot be denied that after VIVAH it is only GURU that has worked so consistently at the box office over the weeks. The biggest success of 2007 so far, it's total collections would only be challenged by Saif Ali Khan-Rani Mukherjee starrer TA RA RUM PUM which releases late April.
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Guru: Movie Zone
