Kabul Express performs poorly in U.K.
By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM
Thursday,
December
21,
2006
This
writer
was
the
sole
reviewer
to
point
out
that
Kabul
Express
would
face
an
uphill
task
in
U.K.
and
U.S.A.
because
of
its
anti-Pak
flavor.
With
Pakistanis
forming
a
major
chunk
of
movie-going
audience
in
these
two
countries,
any
film
with
an
anti-Pak
stance
gets
ignored
by
this
section
of
the
audience,
which
results
in
the
business
getting
affected.
That's
precisely
what
happened
to
Kabul
Express.
The first weekend collections of Kabul Express in U.K. and U.S.A. have indeed come as a rude shock. What's surprising is that Yash Raj has had two solid hits in 2006 -- Fanaa and Dhoom 2 -- and one expected at least a face-saving start for Kabul Express.
If you go by numbers and screen average, Kabul Express is Yash Raj's lowest opener in U.K. The weekend collections are even lower than Neal 'N' Nikki, one of the weakest films produced by the premier banner.
In the U.S. too, Kabul Express is better than Neal'N' Nikki, but way below the other Yash Raj releases. Sad!
Have a look at Yash Raj's U.K. and U.S.A. charts below for a comparative study.
Whatever its fate in India, Baabul continues to be the current favorite in U.K. The second weekend is fantastic and at the rate it's faring, it should easily find a place in the Top 10 list of 2006 [in U.K.].
Weekend: December 15 - 17, 2006.
U.K. BOX-OFFICE
- Baabul [last weekend: No. 8, this weekend: No. 11]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 167,214 on 44 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 3,800. Total: £ 599,174 [approx. Rs. 5.23 crores].
- Kabul Express has debuted at No. 14 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected £ 49,203 [approx. Rs. 42.96 lacs] on 24 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 2,050.
YASH RAJ FILMS IN U.K.
|
- Dhoom 2 [last weekend: No. 14, this weekend: No. 18]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected £ 34,782 on 25 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 1,391. Total: £ 1,108,309 [approx. Rs. 9.67 crores].
- Vivah [last weekend: No. 42, this weekend: No. 57]: In its sixth weekend, the film has collected £ 1,164 on 2 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 582. Total: £ 261,369 [approx. Rs. 2.28 crores].
- Chennai Kadhal [Tamil; last weekend: No. --, this weekend: No. 58]: In its second weekend, the film has collected £ 1,095 on 2 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 548. Total: £ 5,737 [approx. Rs. 5.01 lacs].
- Umrao Jaan [last weekend: No. 51, this weekend: No. 76]: In its seventh weekend, the film has collected £ 269 on 2 screens, with the per screen average working out to £ 135. Total: £ 415,004 [approx. Rs. 3.62 crores].
THIS WEEKEND IN U.K. [Based on screen averages]
|
- Kabul Express has debuted at No. 28 position. In its opening weekend, the film has collected $ 142,591 [approx. Rs. 63.96 lacs] on 50 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 2,852.
YASH RAJ FILMS IN U.S.A.
|
- Dhoom 2 [last weekend: No. 28, this weekend: No. 30]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected $ 109,763 on 40 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 2,744. Total: $ 2,490,892 [approx. Rs. 11.17 crores].
NEW YORK CITY BOX-OFFICE
- Dhoom 2 [last weekend: No. 23, this weekend: No. 29]: In its fourth weekend, the film has collected $ 10,587 on 3 screens, with the per screen average working out to $ 3,529. New York total: $ 289,507.