Exclusive Weekly Box Office Analysis: Dobaaraa - Another Dud In Cinemas From Bollywood

Film trade expert Girish Wankhede writes an exclusive column for Filmibeat, analysing the films released last week.

It's just another lacklustre week for the box office in India. The solo prominent Hindi release Dobaara could not generate healthy box office figures although it had some positive reviews, but not positive word of mouth. Dobaaraa features Taapsee Pannu and Pavail Gulati and is directed by Anurag Kashyap.

Dobaaraa Box Office Collections

Based on an unsuccessful Spanish film Mirage, the narrative of Dobaaraa was too confusing for a regular moviegoer. The film generated Rs 60 lakh on its opening day, and Rs 90 lakh on Saturday and Sunday each, and crashed with Rs 20 lakh at the BO on the first Monday. These Monday figures show no hope for its second week.

Dobaara is another dud in cinemas by the leading lady Taapsee Pannu after Shabaash Mithu, Loop Lapeta, Rashmi Rocket and Sand Ki Aankh. Taapsee Pannu's careless banter with director Anurag Kashyap about boycotting their film generated high brows without serving any purpose. Anurag's timely / untimely outburst about Bollywood films also didn't help in creating any curiosity quotient for Dobaaraa. With producer Balaji Telefilms shedding approximately Rs 30 crore on this film, the lifetime box office collection would not be more than Rs 5 crore - making it a bad business bargain. May be the OTT platform will rescue Dobaaraa to some extent.

Daagdi Chaawl 2 Box Office Collections

Another noteworthy release of this week is Marathi Daagdi Chaawl 2 featuring Ankush Chaudhary, Pooja Sawant and Makarand Deshpande. The sequel of the superhit 2015 Dagadi Chawl, this film has excellent poster design and an impressive teaser to start with. It collected Rs 52 lakh on its opening day and grew to Rs 70 lakh on Saturday. On Sunday, it made Rs 83 crore and by this time, the positive word of mouth is also doing the rounds. Its total opening weekend collections at the box office at Rs 2.05 crore are decent. Makarand Deshpande has a certain face value and acceptability, which the promotional campaign has cashed in on, and it shows.

Kartikeya 2 Second Week Box Office Collections

Kartikeya 2 is gaining momentum in its second week. Its Telugu version generated Rs 16.66 crore in its opening week of six days, as it was released on Saturday. The second week Friday collected Rs 2.03 crore and on Saturday it was Rs 1.82 crore. Sunday rose to Rs 2.42 crore and Monday, it was Rs 1 crore, which was considerable. The 10-day box office haul for the Telugu version was Rs 23.93 crore and will show a rising graph owing to strong positive word of mouth.

The Hindi version of Karthikeya 2 is also on an upward ride. Its first week of six days generated Rs 5.75 crore and on the Friday of the second weekend, it made Rs 2.46 crore. On Saturday, it made Rs 3.04 crore and on Sunday, it collected Rs 4.07 crore. Monday saw a collection of Rs 98 lakh, which is still a silver lining. The Hindi version of Karthikeya 2 amassed Rs 16.30 crore in 10 days, and the box office collections are still growing!

Laal Singh Chaddha Second Week Box Office Collections

Laal Singh Chaddha steamed out in its second week. Amidst controversies and boycott trends, it succumbed to lengthy and poor execution of a highly anticipated project. The first week of eight (8) days generated Rs 50.25 crore, which is disheartening for the stature of the film. The second Friday made Rs 1.25 crore, Saturday Rs 1.50 crore, and Sunday Rs 2 crore, with Monday dipping to Rs 50 lakh. The overall box office collection of Laal Singh Chaddha is Rs 55.50 crore for the first 12 days, which is an alarming sign for an Aamir Khan film. The consecutive flop for Aamir after four years of the super flop Thugs of Hindustan is a huge dent in his brand value and credibility.

Raksha Bandhan Second Week Box Office Collections

Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan also bombed, and this is his third big-ticket film after Bachchan Paandey and Samrat Prithviraj for the actor, which failed at the box office. Raksha Bandhan generated Rs 38 crore from its first week of eight days and then descended to make Rs 1 crore on Friday, Rs 1.25 crore on Saturday, Rs 1.75 crore on Sunday and Rs 40 lakh on Monday. The tally goes to Rs 42.40 crore for the first 12 days. This makes Raksha Bandhan collect a lifetime theatrical of less than Rs 50 crore, which is quite disheartening for an Akshay Kumar movie!

Now, all eyes are set on Liger, which is the biggest bet of the upcoming week. Directed by south veteran Puri Jagannadh and produced by him along with Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, this Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday sports action drama looks strong and promising. The lead pair travelled several cities in norht India and are able to create a strong buzz. The music of Liger is also upbeat and the youth looks connected to the film.

Let's hope Liger revives the box office for Bollywood.