MUMBAI: Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Yash Chopra‘s last directorial romantic story, was awaited with much expectation which was not met by this three hour saga, looking at the public response. The film was released in direct opposition of a mass entertainer, Son Of Sardar, after much controversy on sharing screen space with Yash Raj Film having cornered a chunk of better single screens using their Salman Khan starrer Ek Tha Tiger as leverage thus leaving little for Son Of Sardar.
This offered the audience an option and it showed on the collections as Jab Tak Hai Jaan could manage only Rs 152.3 million on Tuesday (13 November), the Diwali day, then peaking on the next, the New Year day with Rs 195.4 million and then finding its level on Thursday with Rs 144.5 million.
The collection figures tapered thereafter; Sunday which collected Rs 99.6 million could have been better by at least Rs 20 million as the film‘s collections suffered due to closure of cinemas in Maharashtra for most part of the weekend due to the demise of Balasaheb Thackeray.
According to Girish Wankhede of Cinemax chain, all the 66 group screens in Maharashtra had to cancel three shows each on Saturday and all five shows each on Sunday, these shows being the cream of the week. Same was the case with other multiplex screens. The collections also suffered to an extent in the North due to closure of Wave group multiplexes from Saturday afternoon and whole of Sunday following a tragedy in the owners‘ family. Jab Tak Hai Jaan ended its six-day festive weekend with Rs 807.3 million.
Son Of Sardar had to fight for screens till the end and distributors could not advertise in time (where all the movie was going to be screen). However, the film did hit the screens as scheduled with less number of screens than they would have liked to open. An old fashioned action comedy about two warring families, the film met with mixed response. However, its cluttered cast and their antics earned it the label of ‘entertainer‘. The film opened with a moderate Rs 100.72 million on Tuesday, the Diwali day, as expected it peaked the next day being the New Year day with Rs 162.1 million before settling down to average levels. The film suffered on Saturday and Sunday for the same reasons as Jab Tak Hai Jaan and went on to end its six day festival season with Rs 660.2 million.
1920 - Evil Returns could enjoy a limited run despite holding steady in the second week since the film had to be discontinued from most screens to make way for new releases, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Son Of Sardar, on Tuesday. The film still managed to collect a decent Rs 47 million taking its tally to Rs 233 million.
Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana collected Rs 13.5 million in its second week taking its total to Rs 78.5 million.
Student Of The Year mopped up approx Rs 10 million in its fourth week. It has netted Rs 608 million so far.
English Vinglish collected Rs five million taking its tally at the end of the sixth week to Rs 373.5 million.
OMG Oh My God! has collected Rs 3.8 million in its seventh week. The movie‘s box office score after seven weeks is Rs 769.3 million.
