Weekly Box Office Analysis: Vikrant Rona Crosses Rs 100 Crore; B-Town Dismal Show Continues [Exclusive]

The lacklustre performances of several films at the box office continues to add to the woes of the filmmakers and the exhibitors, and this week is no exception. Out of three major releases on July 29, one could only garner the respected figures while the other two sank. In an exclusive column for Filmibeat, film trade expert Girish Wankhede analyses the box office of the last week's films.

Vikrant Rona, the Kannada film which was released simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, showed a respectable tally in its original Kannada version.

But the Hindi film Ek Villain Returns and Marathi movie Timepass 3 failed at the box office. Another highly anticipated south outing, the Ravi Teja Telugu film Ramarao on Duty also had no takers at the box office.

Vikrant Rona Box Office

Vikrant Rona was released on Thursday, July 28 rather than Friday, with an aim to cash in on the extended weekend. The buzz was strong, and the presence of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the pre-release promotional event added a huge hype in Mumbai, which pushed its Hindi box office collections to cross the Rs 6-crore mark on Monday, August 1. The first day of release i.e. Thursday was Rs 1.11 crore, Friday was only Rs 93 lakh, Saturday was Rs 1.52 crore and Sunday was Rs 2.40 crore in the Hindi belt.

The Kannada version was huge in Karnataka and some other pockets in the south. Vikrant Rona stood only third to the box office revenue of KGF 1 and 2. It opened with Rs 13.50 crore on Thursday, then dropped to Rs 6.50 crore on Friday, generated Rs 8.25 crore on Saturday and escalated to Rs 10.75 crore on Sunday. The first Monday was at Rs 3.50 crore, which is a considerable drop. Vikrant Rona generated Rs 42.50 crore in 5 days for its Kannada version, which is more than satisfactory.

Considering the overall figures of its original version and all dubbed versions along with its overseas collections, the five days gross of Vinrabt Rona has crossed the Rs 100-crore mark, which is a great solace.

Ek Villain Returns Box Office

The Hindi franchise Ek Villain Returns could not upscale its original blockbuster hit of 2014. This second installment of the Villain universe is just a pale version of Ek Villain in terms of screenplay and music. The sequel opened to Rs 7.05 crore on Friday, Rs 7.47 crore on Saturday and Rs 9.02 crores on Sunday, making it collect Rs 23.54 on its first weekend.

The shock was on Monday when Ek Villain Returns merely collected Rs 3.5 crores, which is a huge crash. The four days collection is at Rs 26.56 crore, which is a big letdown considering its budget of Rs 60 crore, and recalling the first weekend collection of Ek Villain, which was more than Rs 50 crore. The reason for the second instalment to fail is weak writing and uninvolved performances by the lead star cast. Even Mohit Suri's direction looks dated.

Timepass 3 Box Office

Another highly anticipated Marathi franchise film also could not shine at the box office irrespective of its huge release in 400 screens in Maharashtra. Timepass 3 was promoted aggressively and its visibility quotient was also good, still it could not meet up the expectations of the filmgoers. It opened with Rs 90 lakh on Friday, then Rs 1.10 crores on Saturday and Rs 1.80 crores on Sunday, It dropped considerably to Rs 56 lakhs on Monday and thus making it to collect Rs 4.36 crores in 4 days. With an average word of mouth and no superhit songs, it will take some time to grow on the audience.

The disappointing spell continues with Shamshera' and Shabaash Mithu' and Hit: The First Case' and Jugjugg Jiyo' and the picture is dismal. The coming week has no major Hindi release in Cinemas. The solo noteworthy Hindi Friday release is Darlings' featuring Alia Bhatt which is directly going to OTT.

The only saving grace for this coming week is Brad Pitt starrer Bullet Train, which is releasing here on Thursday, one day prior of its US release.