Monthly Archives: October 2017

Bollywood Box Office: October 27-29, 2017

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Golmaal Again extended its lead on Secret Superstar in the films’ second weekend in North American theaters, thanks to its popularity in Canada. From October 27-29, 2017, Golmaal Again earned $499,717 from 230 theaters ($2,173 average), bringing its total earnings to $1,858,958. During the same weekend, Secret Superstar earned $445,789 from 162 theaters ($2,752 average), raising its total to $1,536,637.

A little digging reveals the huge boost Canada is giving to Golmaal Again. Based on the weekend’s earnings above, Golmaal Again out-earned Secret Superstar by a total of $53,928. However, Golmaal Again‘s advantage in the United States was just $3,427, even though it played in 67 more theaters than Secret Superstar. In Canada — where Golmaal Again showed in just one more theater than Secret Superstar — the comedy sequel earned $50,501 more than the coming-of-age musical drama! The overall advantage Golmaal Again has over Secret Superstar is virtually the same in both countries: $165,418 in the US and $156,900 in Canada.

TLDR: Canadians like Golmaal Again a lot more than Secret Superstar.

Judwaa 2 earned $245 over the weekend from one Canadian theater, per Bollywood Hungama, which didn’t report any US earnings for the film for a second weekend in a row. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan took in $150 from one US theater in its ninth weekend of release.

Sources: Box Office Mojo and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Streaming Video News: October 28, 2017

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Heera with the addition of two movies that released in theaters just last month! Bhoomi and Simran — which was kind of disappointing — are both now available for streaming. Heera also added two Tamil films that released theatrically in September, 2017: Hara Hara Mahadevaki and Thupparivaalan.

I posted a list of spooky Bollywood movies on Netflix yesterday, but Heera carries a number of scary flicks as well. Here are some of the Indian horror movies available on Heera.

Spooky Bollywood Movies on Netflix, 2017 Edition

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With Halloween just days away, this is the perfect time to binge some frightening fare on Netflix. Thankfully, the streaming service has a number of Hindi horror films to keep you spooked all weekend long.

Before we dive into Bollywood, allow me to mention some spectacularly scary Korean movies that are also worth checking out. Netflix has my absolute favorite horror film, The Wailing, as well as the terrific zombie thriller Train to Busan and the gut-wrenching monster movie The Host. If you’ve ever wanted to hop on board the K-drama bandwagon, start with the 16-episode TV series Oh My Ghost (aka “Oh My Ghostess“) — a funny and surprisingly touching story of a timid prep cook possessed by the spirit of a horny virgin ghost.

Onto the Hindi horror films on Netflix!


1920 London (2016)
Sharma Joshi plays an exorcist tasked with removing an ancient Rajasthani curse from a London couple in the third film in the 1920 series.

 

 


Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007)
This time, Akshay Kumar is an exorcist who must displace the vengeful spirit of a court dancer from Vidya Balan. Balan’s performance in the thrilling climactic dance number is worth the price of admission, in my book.

 

 


Bhoothnath (2008)
A boy befriends a cantankerous old ghost, played by Amitabh Bachchan. A nice family comedy with a weirdly specific moral message.

 

 


Horror Story (2013)
This scary tale of college students trapped in haunted hotel is based on the Stephen King short story “1408“, which spawned a movie of the name starring John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in 2007.

 

 


Machhali Jal Ki Rani Hai (2014)
The talented Swara Bhaskar of Nil Battey Sannata fame headlines this story of spiritual possession in a struggling factory town.

In Theaters: October 27, 2017

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No new Hindi films dare open in Chicago area theaters on the heels of last weekend’s two big releases. Here are the Bollywood movies playing locally the weekend beginning October 27, 2017:

Secret Superstar carries over for a second week at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC Showplace Niles 12 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

Golmaal Again also gets a second week at the River East 21, Round Lake Beach 18, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera 17, Woodridge 18, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and AMC Loews Crestwood 18 in Crestwood.

The South Barrington 24 gives a fifth week to Judwaa 2.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: October 20-22, 2017

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Both of the Hindi movies released in time for Diwali did very well in North America over the weekend of October 20-22, 2017. Not surprisingly, the film showing in more theaters — Golmaal Again — fared the better of the two, earning $1,003,569 from 288 theaters ($3,485 average; adjusted average of $3,787 from 265 theaters*). Using the 265 theater count that Box Office Mojo reports for the film, Golmaal Again did vastly better in Canada than the United States, averaging $9,233 in 23 Canadian theaters versus $3,269 in 242 US theaters. Golmaal Again improved on Golmaal 3‘s North American opening weekend haul of $626,432 from 86 theaters in 2010, made possible by tripling the number of theaters. (Update: Per Gitesh Pandya, Reliance reports weekend earnings for Golmaal Again of $1,013,893 from 267 theaters).

Secret Superstar also turned in a good performance over the weekend, earning $754,185 from 207 theaters ($3,643 average; adjusted average of $4,121 from 183 theaters). The difference in per-theater averages between Canada and the US was less stark for Secret Superstar: $5,281 at 24 Canadian theaters versus $3,946 at 159 US theaters. Secret Superstar got a jump on Golmaal Again by releasing on Thursday, October 19, and the $60,632 it earned on Thursday brings its total earnings thus far to $814,817.

Among North American cinema owners, none can be happier than the owners of the four Canadian theaters that showed the Tamil movie Mersal over the weekend, averaging earnings of $36,735 per theater. The film’s total earnings across the US and Canada stand at $1,347,387 since its Tuesday, October 17 release.

Bollywood Hungama failed to report US earnings for Judwaa 2, which took in $5,715 from three Canadian theaters over the weekend. Box Office Mojo reports total earnings of $1,431,255 for Judwaa 2 thus far.

Other Bollywood movies still showing in US theaters:

  • Bareilly Ki Barfi: Week 10; $256 from one theater; $572,764 total
  • Chef: Week 3; $114 from one theater; $94,085 total
  • Shubh Mangal Saavdhan: Week 8; $110 from one theater; $689,874 total

*Bollywood Hungama frequently counts Canadian theaters twice in when they report figures for a film’s first few weeks of release. When possible, I verify theater counts at Box Office Mojo, but I use Bollywood Hungama as my primary source because they provide a comprehensive and consistent — if flawed — data set.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Gitesh Pandya, and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Streaming Video News: October 22, 2017

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with five new additions to the catalog. The Hindi films Aashayein, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, Kajraare, Karzzzz, and Patiala House are all available for streaming. I liked Patiala House, thought Aashayein was decent, and did not care for Karzzzzzzzzz. For everything else new on Netflix — Bollywood or not — check Instant Watcher.

I should also point out a few exciting non-Hindi films recently added to Heera. Barely two months after their theatrical releases, the Bengali movie Dhananjoy and the Telugu films Arjun Reddy and Nene Raju Nene Mantri are all available for streaming on Heera. You can find my list of the hundreds of Hindi movies on Heera here.

Streaming Video News: October 20, 2017

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with two new additions to the catalog. The 2017 animated kids’ series Guru Aur Bhole and Sab Jholmaal Hai are now available for streaming. Netflix has added so many Hindi movies and series for children recently that I decided to create a separate “Indian Cartoons for Kids” category at the bottom of the page. You’ll find the two new shows and movies like the Krish Trish and Balti Boy series there. For everything else new on Netflix — Bollywood or not — check Instant Watcher.

Opening October 19 & 20: Secret Superstar and Golmaal Again

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Two new Hindi films open in the Chicago area for Diwali weekend. Secret Superstar — featuring Aamir Khan opposite his Dangal daughter, Zaira Wasim — gets a head start, hitting theaters on Thursday, October 19, 2017.

Secret Superstar opens Thursday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, with the AMC Showplace Niles 12 in Niles carrying it starting Friday. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 30 min.

Then on Friday, October 20, Golmaal Again joins the festivities. The fourth film in the franchise adds Tabu and Parineeti Chopra to a large returning cast, led by Ajay Devgn and Arshad Warsi. I watched the second film, Golmaal Returns, and that was enough for me.

Golmaal Again opens Friday at the Round Lake Beach 18, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera 17, Woodridge 18, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and AMC Dine-In Rosemont 18 in Rosemont. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 40 min.

Judwaa 2 gets a fourth week at the South Barrington 24.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Streaming Video News: October 16, 2017

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with two big new additions to the catalog. After adding eighteen Indian titles to Netflix yesterday, two Hindi releases from 2017 joined the streaming service today: Baadshaho and Lucknow Central. The speed with which Netflix posted these titles is terrific. Baadshaho opened theatrically on September 1, and Lucknow Central released less than a month ago on September 22! Too bad Baadshaho is terrible. 🙁

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with one new addition to the free streaming catalog: the 2016 Tamil film Savitri, which is also available for viewing with ads for non-Prime subscribers. For everything else new on Netflix and Amazon Prime — Bollywood or not — check Instant Watcher.

Bollywood Box Office: October 13-15, 2017

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Absent competition from any new Bollywood releases, Judwaa 2 led the North American box office for a third straight weekend. From October 13-15, 2017, the comedy reboot earned $101,341 from 125 theaters ($811 average), becoming just the fifth Hindi film of the year to earn more than $100,000 in its third weekend of release. Its current total of $1,392,946 ranks Judwaa 2 in ninth place for the year.

Another bit of happy news (on a much more modest scale) is that Bareilly Ki Barfi posted the highest ninth-weekend earnings of the year, by a long shot. The $1,409 the romantic comedy earned from two theaters ($705 average) beat out Baahubali 2‘s Weekend 9 earnings of $726 from three theaters and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha‘s $120 from one theater — quite the feat for a movie whose widest release was 44 theaters! Bareilly Ki Barfi‘s total stands at $572,298.

Chef fared poorly in its second weekend in North America, earning $10,920 from 23 theaters ($475 average), bringing its total to $91,878.

Other Hindi movies still showing in the United States:

  • Shubh Mangal Saavdhan: Week 7; $819 from one theater; $629,427 total
  • Simran: Week 5; $505 from one theater; $405,394 total
  • Tu Hai Mera Sunday: Week 2; $441 from five theaters; $88 average; $4,694 total
  • Bhoomi: Week 4; $374 from two theaters; $187 average; $72,297 total
  • Toilet — Ek Prem Katha: Week 10; $53 from one theater; $1872,300 total

Sources: Sumit Chadha and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama