Tag Archives: Dhoom 3

Opening January 24: Jai Ho

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It’s been over a year since we last saw Salman Khan on the big screen, but he returns to Chicago area cinemas on January 24, 2014, with Jai Ho. The premise sounds a lot like Pay It Forward, if Kevin Spacey had to beat the crap out of a bunch of guys.

Jai Ho opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 23 min.

Karle Pyaar Karle departs area theaters following one of the worst opening weekend performances I can remember. According to Bollywood Hungama, the movie earned $2,466 from twenty screens in the U.S., for an average of just $123 per screen. Holy cow, that’s bad. Theaters lost money on this dog.

Dedh Ishqiya gets a third week at the South Barrington 30, with earnings of $251,730 in the U.S. so far. The theater also carries over Dhoom 3 for a sixth weekend.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend include 1: Nenokkadine (Telugu) at the Cinemark Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge, and the Golf Glen 5, which will also carry Drishyam (Malayalam), Oru Indian Pranayakatha (Malayalam), and Uyyala Jampala (Telugu).

Opening January 17: Karle Pyaar Karle

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The action-romance Karle Pyaar Karle opens in Chicago area theaters on January 17, 2014. With no notable stars in front of or behind the camera, I can’t see this attracting much of an audience locally.

Karle Pyaar Karle opens on Friday at the Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of two hours.

Dedh Ishqiya suffered for opening on only fifty screens in the U.S., earning just $157,541 in its opening weekend. It carries over for a second weekend at the Golf Glen 5 and South Barrington 30, so go see it while you can.

Dhoom 3 — with North American earnings of $8,031,955 so far — gets a fifth weekend at the South Barrington 30.

Other Indian movies playing in the Chicago area this weekend include 1: Nenokkadine (Telugu), Jilla (Tamil), Veeram (Tamil), and Yevadu (Telugu) at the Golf Glen 5 and Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Warrenville. Nenokkadine is playing at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago and Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale as well. The Golf Glen 5 is also showing Drishyam (Malayalam).

Opening January 10: Dedh Ishqiya

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There’s one new Hindi movie opening in the Chicago area on January 10, 2014, and I couldn’t be more excited for it. I loved 2010’s Ishqiya, so I’m super psyched for the sequel: Dedh Ishqiya.

Dedh Ishqiya opens on Friday at the Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Unfortunately, the Cantera is only showing the movie once per day at 10:15 p.m. The movie has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 32 min. (Update: I won’t be able to review Dedh Ishqiya until Monday. Update 2: Make that Wednesday.)

Dhoom 3 gets a fourth weekend at the South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17, with total U.S. earnings of $7,846,872 so far.

I’m a little bummed that the cool-looking Bengali adventure film Chander Pahar isn’t opening in the Chicago area this weekend. The movie’s official website promises an expanded release next weekend, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The Indian film getting the widest release this weekend is the Telugu movie Nenokkadine (1). It gets an early Thursday night release at the Golf Glen 5, AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, and Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale before it expands to the Carmike Market Square 10 in Dekalb on Saturday. The Stratford Square’s website specifies that the film has English subtitles, so I’d assume that’s the case for all the prints at all local theaters. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 7 min.

Starting Friday, the Golf Glen 5 will also carry the Tamil films Jilla and Veeram. Due to the scheduling quirks of the Carmike Market Square, Veeram will open there on Saturday, and Jilla will open on Sunday.

In Theaters: January 3, 2014

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With Dhoom 3 on such a roll, there are no new Hindi movies opening in the Chicago area on January 3, 2014. By December 29, Dhoom 3 had already earned $6,817,935 in North America, and it’s on pace to earn more than $8 million here.

Dhoom 3 carries over for a third weekend in six local theaters: AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville.

Starting on Friday, the Golf Glen 5 will also carry Biriyani (Tamil), D for Dopidi (Telugu), and Drishyam (Malayalam).

Movie Review: Dhoom 3 (2013)

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Dhoom_3_Film_Poster3 Stars (out of 4)

Buy or rent the movie at iTunes
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There’s something liberating about a movie that makes it clear that it’s not supposed to be taken seriously. When concepts like physics and geography are chucked out the window with abandon, the audience has no choice but to accept the world as presented and go with it. Dhoom 3 is just such a movie: ridiculous and thoroughly enjoyable.

Dhoom 3 finds Mumbai police officers Jai (Abhishek Bachchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) in Chicago to assist the police investigation of a bank robber who leaves messages in Hindi at every crime scene. Apparently, there are no CCTV cameras in the city, because the local police are unable to identify the brazen perpetrator: Sahir (Aamir Khan), a magician with a grudge against the bank.

Jai spearheads the investigation because Ali is too infatuated with their lovely local police contact, Victoria (Tabrett Brethell), to concentrate. Victoria’s only real purpose in the movie is to appear in funny dream sequences in which Ali seduces her while surrounded by their four imaginary future children.

During the course of the investigation, Sahir revives his father’s Great Indian Circus, a stage show featuring dancers, acrobats, and magicians. His star performer is Aaliya (Katrina Kaif), whom we know is supposed to be a free spirit because of her penchant for wearing floppy hats and overalls. Like Victoria, Aaliya has little to do apart from looking sexy during performances.

The movie’s action-packed first half features a couple of great-looking chase scenes through downtown Chicago, including a race along the Chicago River that sees the return of the submersible jet ski from Dhoom 2 (physics, be damned)! The second half becomes a personal drama that reveals how Sahir has been able to pull off his heists, that — as tonally incongruous as it is — still works because Aamir Khan is so darned talented.

Because I live about thirty miles from Chicago, I’ve really been looking forward to Dhoom 3. Evidently, so had everyone else in the theater, because everyone let out a cheer when “Chicago 1990” appeared on screen at the start of the film. As a local, here’s what stood out to me:

  • Dhoom 3‘s sense of geography is hilarious. I pity the poor tourist who comes to flat Chicago expecting to see the mountains Jai stares at out of his lakefront penthouse window. Also, good luck trying to make the motorcycle ride from Chicago to the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland.
  • One place that likely will see an uptick in movie-related tourism is Six Flags Great America. Not only are a number of scenes shot there, but the characters discuss the merits of its various roller coasters by name.
  • The movie is full of product placement — Mountain Dew, BMW, etc. — but there’s one corporation that apparently wouldn’t sign off on appearing in the movie: Dunkin’ Donuts. Their stores are EVERYWHERE in downtown Chicago, but you never see any on screen, a feat that seems impossible to accomplish by accident.
  • The accents of all the Chicago characters are whack. This is a Chicago accent.

Minor quibbles aside, Dhoom 3 did right by Chicago. Near the end of the film is a shot of what I think is the single most beautiful sight in the world: the city of Chicago at night. I hope the movie entices a few extra people to come visit us here in the Windy City. If nothing else, Dhoom 3 is a goofy, fun way to spend three hours in the theater.

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Opening December 20: Dhoom 3

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2013 goes out with a bang when Dhoom 3 releases on December 20.

Dhoom 3 opens on Friday in seven Chicago area theaters, several of which are devoting multiple screens to the action blockbuster: AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC Loews Crestwood 18 in Crestwood, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 53 min. The Golf Glen 5 will also carry the Tamil-dubbed version of the film.

This weekend, the Golf Glen 5 will also carry the Tamil movies Biriyani and Endrendrum Punnagai.

New Trailers: December 4, 2013

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A bunch of movie trailers have been released lately, so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. First up is What the Fish, which opens on December 13. Due to a lack of star-power and tons of big-time Hollywood fare taking up screens, I’ll be stunned if this opens in the U.S.

I love the full-length trailer for Dhoom 3 — opening December 20 — because it features so much great footage of Chicago.

The comedy Mr. Joe B. Carvalho is set for release on January 3, 2014. That means the filmmakers still have time to edit out the racist scene in which a character sports blackface makeup and an afro wig (1:44 in the video below).

I have my doubts that the star-less college flick Yaariyan will make much of a splash in the U.S. when it releases on January 10.

The romcom Total Siyapaa — starring Ali Zafar and Yami Gautam — looks like it could be pretty cute. It opens on January 31.

Is it just me, or does Gunday seem like an odd movie to release on Valentine’s Day?

In Theaters: October 4, 2013

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For better or worse, Besharam is the main game in town for the foreseeable future. For the weekend beginning Friday, October 4, 2013, Besharam continues its run at all seven of the Chicago area theaters in which it opened on Wednesday.

The only other Hindi movie playing locally is the surprisingly funny Phata Poster Nikla Hero, which has earned $390,207 in the U.S. so far. It gets a third week at the Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Sadly, Warning gets tossed overboard after just one week.

With upcoming star-studded films timing there releases around major holidays in India (and trying to avoid competing with one another), we’ve likely entered a cycle in the Chicago area in which only one new Hindi movie will open theatrically every other week, as opposed the usual schedule of at least one new movie per week. Apart from a brief flurry of big-time releases in mid-November, the intervening weeks are peppered with the releases of low-budget films from smaller studios featuring no major stars. Those movies may get sizable releases in India, but they aren’t likely to command screenspace in U.S. theaters.

Here’s the schedule of films likely to open in the Chicago area for the remainder of 2013, based on the release dates posted at Bollywood Hungama. (Keep in mind that release dates may change, and we could be surprised with some limited openings of smaller films.)

Opening September 6: Shuddh Desi Romance and Zanjeer

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Two new Hindi flicks hit Chicago area screens on September 6, 2013. Shuddh Desi Romance (listed at some theaters as “Random Desi Romance“) features rising stars Parineeti Chopra and Sushant Singh Rajput alongside newcomer Vaani Kapoor in a romcom love triangle.

Shuddh Desi Romance opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 5 min.

Also new in theaters this weekend is Zanjeer, a remake of the 1973 film of the same name starring Amitabh Bachchan. The remake stars Ram Charan, Priyanka Chopra, and Sanjay Dutt.

Zanjeer opens on Friday at the River East 21, Golf Glen 5, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17. Its runtime is listed at IMDb as 2 hrs. 17 min. The Golf Glen 5 is also carrying the Telugu version of Zanjeer, Thoofan.

After posting solid earnings of $500,402 over the extended holiday weekend in the U.S., Satyagraha gets a second week at the River East 21, Golf Glen 5, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17.

Madras Cafe gets a third weekend at the South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17.

Chennai Express is still going strong with earnings of $5,122,240 in the U.S. so far. It gets a fifth weekend at the South Barrington 30, Woodridge 18, and Cantera 17.

Other Indian movies showing at the Golf Glen 5 this weekend include the Tamil movies Madha Gaja Raja and Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam.

The teaser trailer from Dhoom 3 just released today, and it features some great footage shot in downtown Chicago. The movie releases on December 20, 2013.