Tag Archives: Brothers

Streaming Video News: February 21, 2023

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It’s last call for a bunch of Dharma Productions titles on Amazon Prime and Netflix, which will also lose a ton of Balaji Motion Pictures films this week as well. Here’s what’s leaving when, and why this may not be cause for panic.

First of all, thanks to CinemaRare on Twitter for listing the movies on the way out. One thing to notice immediately is that some of the titles on CinemaRare’s list are currently available in India but not the United States. This is because streaming rights are negotiated on a regional — and sometimes country-specific — basis between the company that owns the film’s rights and the streaming service interested in licensing them. These contracts cover a specified time period, after which the rights holder can renegotiate a new contract or shop their content elsewhere.

That’s likely what’s happening with Dharma and Balaji now. There’s every chance that they will simply sign a new contract with the same streaming companies for another few years. Balaji did that in late 2020 with Netflix. If that’s the case, then the titles may only be unavailable for a short window. I’m going to wait a week or two before removing the links to the expiring titles from my Netflix list and my Amazon Prime list just in case the films are renewed.

However, there is a chance that the Dharma Productions titles may not return to Netflix. Karan Johar and Dharma have a deal with Amazon Prime to bring their newest theatrical releases to Prime and to create new streaming content for the service. I won’t be shocked if they want to make the back catalog exclusive to Prime as well. If you subscribe to Netflix but not Prime, you may want to prioritize watching the expiring Dharma titles listed below this week.

Here are all of the Dharma Productions and Balaji Motion Pictures titles expiring from Netflix and Amazon Prime in the next week (note that the last day to watch is the day before the expiration date):

Expiring from Netflix February 27 (Balaji Motion Pictures titles)

Expiring from Netflix February 28 (Dharma Productions titles)

Expiring from Netflix March 1

Expiring from Amazon Prime February 27 (Dharma Productions titles)*

*The Amazon Prime Dharma list looks small by comparison to the Netflix list because some of the films are available on Eros Now instead of Prime, while others have already expired from Prime. Keeping track of all this stuff is no joke!

[Disclaimer: my Amazon links include an affiliate tag, and I may earn a commission on purchases made via those links. Thanks for helping to support this website!]

Streaming Video News: April 1, 2020

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with loads of newly added Indian content. In addition to the Hindi film Paharganj, the 2020 Tamil releases Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal and Sethum Aayiram Pon are now available for streaming. A bunch of animated kids movies and series in Hindi were also added: Akbar Birbal, Bal Ganesh, Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan, Mighty Raju Rio Calling, and Punyakoti (Sanskrit). But the big news is the new batch of movies from the Dharma Productions catalog that are now available for streaming:

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with lots of newly added Indian titles, including the following 2020 releases:

[Disclaimer: all of my Amazon links include an affiliate tag, and I may earn a commission on purchases made via those links. Thanks for helping to support this website!]

Bollywood Box Office: September 4-6

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The big success of Welcome Back in North America taught me to never underestimate the importance of two things: long holiday weekends and Canadians. From September 4-6, 2015, Welcome Back earned $702,290 from 149 theaters ($4,713 average).

More than 20% of Welcome Back‘s earnings came from just 14 Canadian theaters. The per-screen average in that country was $10,600, compared to $4,103 per screen in the US. Both countries celebrated Labor Day on Monday, September 7, significantly boosting Sunday’s returns. Box Office Mojo lists Welcome Back‘s four-day total as $891,435.

Despite the big opening weekend numbers, I have doubts about Welcome Back‘s longevity. As of the Tuesday afternoon after its release, it has fewer than 1,200 user ratings at IMDb. At this website, my review of Welcome Back has garnered less attention than my reviews of All Is Well or Bangistan did at similar stages of release, and those were flops. Welcome Back was likely just a way to pass the time during the last long weekend of summer. Expect its business to drop significantly next weekend.

Other Hindi movies still in North American theaters include:

  • Phantom: Week 2; $82,713 from 83 theaters; $997 average; $441,509 total
  • Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Week 8; $14,970 from eight theaters; $1,871 average; $8,098,675 total
  • Drishyam: Week 6; $5,585 from three theaters; $1,862 average; $735,432 total
  • Brothers: Week 4; $2,482 from three theaters; $827 average; $673,854 total

Source: Box Office Mojo and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: August 28-30

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Phantom turned in a fine opening weekend in North America. From August 28-30, 2015, it earned $260,712 from 107 theaters ($2,437 average). It opened in the eleventh highest number of theaters for a Bollywood film this year and earned the twelfth largest opening weekend gross, so there you go.

Other Hindi films still showing in North American theaters:

  • Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Week 7; $27,399 from 19 theaters; $1,442 average; $8,069,305 total
  • All Is Well: Week 2; $13,392 from 25 theaters; $536 average; $124,567 total
  • Brothers: Week 3; $11,442 from 18 theaters; $636 average; $662,749 total
  • Drishyam: Week 5; $10,672 from eight theaters; $1,334 average; $726,706 total
  • Baahubali (Hindi-dubbed): Week 6; $6,434 from six theaters; $1,072 average; $583,354 total

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening August 28: Phantom

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The Bollywood terrorism thriller Phantom — starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif — opens in Chicago area theaters on August 28, 2015.

Phantom opens on Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 28 min.

All Is Well carries over for a second week at all of the above theaters.

The rest of the South Barrington 30’s weekend Hindi lineup includes Brothers, Drishyam, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and the dubbed version of Baahubali.

Also opening in limited release on Friday is Learning to Drive, starring Ben Kingsley as a Sikh driving instructor who helps Patricia Clarkson find her independence following the breakup of her marriage. Learning to Drive opens at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Century Centre Cinema in Chicago, and the Century 12 Evanston/Cinearts 6 in Evanston on Friday, before expanding into suburban theaters in the coming weeks.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend include:

Bollywood Box Office: August 21-23

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All Is Well turned in an unspectacular opening weekend in North American theaters. From August 21-23, 2015, it earned $74,033 from 55 theaters ($1,346 average).

While one might have expected more from a movie starring Rishi Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan, the results are typical for a Bollywood movie opening in fewer than 70 theaters. About half of all Hindi films released in the US and Canada last year — 25 films, not counting The Lunchbox — opened on fewer than 70 screens, and only six of them earned more than $75,000 in their opening weekend. This year, just two of the ten Bollywood films to open in fewer than 70 theaters passed that threshold: Hamari Adhuri Kahani ($94,005) and the surprise hit NH10 ($143,209). The low opening weekend theater count suggests that distributors weren’t expecting much from All Is Well, and the movie met those expectations.

In its second weekend, Brothers‘ business fell by about 75% from its opening weekend. It earned $90,284 from 129 theaters ($700 average), bringing its North American total to $607,945.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan, on the other hand, held strong in its sixth week. It took in $65,911 from 34 theaters ($1,939 average), bringing its total to $8,009,524.

Drishyam also remained popular, earning another $26,162 from 15 theaters ($1,744 average). Its total stands at $709,794.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening August 21: All Is Well

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One new Hindi movie opens in Chicago area theaters on August 21, 2015. Sadly, it isn’t Manjhi: The Mountain Man but All Is Well, a comedy whose trailer promises lots of yelling and pee jokes. The only reasons for optimism are that it’s directed by Umesh Shukla of OMG fame and stars Abhishek Bachchan, who’s good in comedies.

All Is Well opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 7 min.

Brothers carries over for a second week at all three of the above theaters, plus the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, and Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison.

The South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17 carry over both Drishyam and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which also sticks around at MovieMax.

The Pakistani film Bin Roye gets another week at the South Barrington 30.

Other Indian films playing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: August 14-16

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Brothers got off to a good — but not great — start in North America. From August 14-16, 2015, Brothers earned $348,036 from 181 theaters ($1,923 average). Almost a quarter of its earnings came from the 17 Canadian theaters that carried the film.

The per-screen average is the key to appreciating how well Brothers fared compared to star Akshay Kumar’s two previous releases in 2015. January’s Baby remains Kumar’s best performer this year: $4,393 average in 99 theaters. Even May’s Gabbar Is Back fared better in that metric than Brothers: $2,251 average in 120 theaters. It’s as though distributors attributed Baby‘s success entirely to Kumar, prompting them to open his subsequent films in more and more theaters. More likely, Baby over-performed thanks to its patriotic theme and its release during winter’s cinematic dead zone. Kumar’s opening weekend sweet spot in North America is right around 100 theaters.

In its fifth weekend, Bajrangi Bhaijaan took in another $130,081 from 65 theaters ($2,001 average), bringing its North American total to $7,871,909. For some perspective, the year’s next best fifth weekend performance — belonging to Dil Dhadakne Do — is $48,788 from 27 theaters. Demand for Bajrangi Bhaijaan is still awfully high here.

Poor old Bangistan hung around for a second weekend in just two American theaters, whence it earned $164. Its total stands at $44,177, fifth worst for the year in the US and Canada.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening August 14: Brothers

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One new Hindi movie opens in the Chicago area on August 14, 2015. Brothers: Blood Against Blood — starring Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra — is the official remake of the 2011 Hollywood film Warrior, which stars Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy. I really, really liked Warrior, and this remake fills me with trepidation.

Brothers opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 36 min.

Bangistan gets a second week at the South Barrington 30, which also holds over the Pakistani film Bin Roye.

Drishyam carries over for a third week at the South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan gets a fifth week at the Gardens 1-6, South Barrington 30, Cantera 17, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

Other Indian films showing in the Chicago area this weekend include:

In Theaters October 12, 2012

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Update: The Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles finally posted its weekend schedule, and the theater will carry the new Hindi films Aiyyaa and Bhoot Returns. (Note: I don’t live anywhere near this theater, so I won’t be reviewing either of these movies, unfortunately.) The Golf Glen 5 is also carrying English Vinglish and OMG, as well as the Malayalam movies Molly Aunty Rocks! and Puthiya Theerangal, Maattrraan (Tamil) and its Telugu version, Brothers.

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The steady stream of Bollywood movies flowing into Chicagoland has finally dried up. There are no new Hindi movies opening in Chicago area theaters on Friday, October 12, 2012. I’m especially disappointed that I won’t get to see Rani Mukerji’s Aiyyaa, but Ram Gopal Varma’s Bhoot Returns, Chittagong, and Makkhi seemed like potential candidates for screenspace as well.

Still, a few Bollywood options remain in local theaters. After posting impressive first-weekend earnings of $745,414 in the U.S., English Vinglish carries over at the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Both theaters are also holding over OMG Oh My God for a third week, while the South Barrington 30 gives a fifth week to Barfi!, which has earned $2,692,161 in the U.S. so far.

Starting on Friday, the South Barrington 30 will also carry the Punjabi movie Saadi Wakhri Hai Shaan.