October started quietly in North America. During the weekend of April 13-15, 2018, the romantic drama earned $230,776 from 131 theaters* ($1,762 average), according to Bollywood Hungama. That’s the lowest opening weekend total and per-theater average for any Hindi film to open in more than 100 theaters here this year so far, with October‘s earnings lagging behind the next lowest earner in that category — Aiyaary — by $120,000. The only thing working in October‘s favor is a sparse release calendar for the rest of the month, with no major competition taking the field until May 4.
Mercury got off to an even quieter start (I know, bad joke about a movie with no dialogue). The silent thriller earned $55,976 from 87 theaters ($643 average) in spite of higher ticket prices and no discounts. The timing of the Mercury‘s release is a shame since genre fans are still focused on A Quiet Place, which closed in on the $100 million mark domestically over the weekend.
Other Hindi movies still showing in North American theaters:
- Baaghi 2: Week 3; $47,117 from 58 theaters; $812 average; $1,297,765 total
- Blackmail: Week 2; $38,336 from 25 theaters; $1,533 average; $253,036 total
- Hichki: Week 4; $9,768 from eight theaters; $1,221 average; $753,577 total
- Raid: Week 5; $6,481 from four theaters; $1,620 average; $1,084,042 total
- Missing: Week 2; $449 from three theaters; $150 average; $6,856 total
*Bollywood Hungama routinely counts Canadian theaters twice in its weekly reporting, at least for a movie’s first few weekends of release. When possible, I try to verify the correct theater count with other sources, like Box Office Mojo. The above figures represent what I believe to be the actual theater counts. Bollywood Hungama’s reporting technically puts October in 150 theaters (making for a $1,539 per-theater average). Mercury did not release in Canada.
Sources: Bollywood Hungama and Box Office Mojo