11 August,2015 08:34 AM IST | | Gaurav Dubey and Shilpi Sampad
Last week's releases — 'Bangistan' and 'Jaanisaar' take disappointing start even as collections of 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and 'Baahubali' slow down
A still from 'Bangistan'
The might of the biggies that had kept the box-office coffers ringing for the last five weeks seems to be weakening and immediate respite is barely in sight as Hindi movie lovers have rejected last week's releases - 'Bangistan' and 'Jaanisaar'.
A still from 'Bangistan'
Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat-starrer 'Bangistan' opened to near-empty theatres and managed to collect just about a crore on day one. A trade source says, "Its shows in several theatres across the city were cancelled due to insufficient audience." At the end of its opening weekend, the comedy drama, which released on nearly 700 screens, has grossed just about Rs 3.77 crore.
Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, "The producers of 'Bangistan' are likely to incur heavy losses. 'Jaanisaar' was also a complete washout and discontinued in some theatres due to lack of audience. Ajay Devgn's 'Drishyam', which released a week earlier, has just managed to survive. 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and 'Baahubali' are now on their way out after delivering firepower for nearly a month."
Ajay Devgn's thriller, which is a remake of the eponymous Malayalam blockbuster, has raked in Rs 28.09 in the last seven days, taking the total collections to Rs 58.12 crore so far. An industry source says, "With positive word-of-mouth, both critical and commercial, the figures have stayed steady throughout the week."
With such a dull weekend, the silver lining for exhibitors was 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation', the fifth action thriller in the MI franchise. "The Tom Cruise-starrer has collected handsomely in the first weekend. Unlike 'Fast and Furious 7', this had a limited release," says Mehra. The film made over Rs 7 crore on its first day.
BO stats
Rs 3.77 crore
'Bangistan' (opening weekend)
Rs 28.09 crore
'Drishyam' (week two; overall: Rs 58.12crore)
Rs 17.77 crore
'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' (week four; overall: Rs 310crore)
Rs 5.49 crore
'Baahubali' (Hindi) (week five; overall: Rs 109 crore)
