Tag Archives: Friday

Opening January 13: OK Jaanu

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The first Bollywood movie to release in Chicago area theaters in 2017 is OK Jaanu, a remake of the 2015 Tamil hit OK Kanmani (available on Netflix). The Hindi remake hits theaters on January 13 and stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.

OK Jaanu opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 15 min.

Dangal carries over for a fourth week at the South Barrington 30, Cantera 17, Woodridge 18, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, and AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville.

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

Opening November 23: Dear Zindagi

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The Shah Rukh Khan-Alia Bhatt comedy-drama Dear Zindagi hits Chicago area theaters on November 23, 2016 — two days before it releases in India! It’s a Thanksgiving miracle!

Dear Zindagi opens on Wednesday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, 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. 31 min.

The South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17 hold over Force 2 for a second week.

MovieMax hasn’t released its full schedule at the time of publication, so check the theater’s website to see what other Indian movies it will carry over the weekend. The only other Indian film showing in the Chicago area over the holiday weekend is Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada (Telugu w/English subtitles) at Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge.

Opening November 18: Force 2

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The sequel to the super-fun action flick Force hits Chicago area theaters on November 18, 2016. John Abraham returns for Force 2, this time teaming up with Sonakshi Sinha against a villain played by Mardaani‘s Tahir Raj Bhasin.

Force 2 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. 4 min.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil gets a fourth week at all of the above theaters, plus the AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. Shivaay carries over at the South Barrington 30 and MovieMax, which also holds over Rock On 2 for a second week.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

In Theaters: November 4, 2016

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Even with three big Hollywood films releasing on November 4, 2016 — Doctor Strange, Trolls, and Hacksaw Ridge — Ae Dil Hai Mushkil carries over in all eleven of the Chicago theaters in which it opened last weekend.

Last weekend’s other new release — Shivaay — didn’t fare as well as ADHM at the box office, thus it carries over in just three of its original five theaters: MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17.

Other Indian movies showing in Chicago area theaters:

Opening October 28: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay

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The Diwali releases are here to save what has been a lackluster October at the North American box office. Director Karan Johar’s romance, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (“This Heart is Complicated“) — starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Fawad Khan — gets the wider release of the two new Bollywood films opening in the Chicago area on October 28, 2016.

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil — which has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 38 min. — opens on Friday in eleven local theaters (two more theaters than Fan or Sultan):

The weekend’s other new release is the action adventure Shivaay, starring and directed by Ajay Devgn.

Shivaay opens on Friday at the Chicago Showplace Icon, River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 49 min.

The only older Hindi films carrying over are 31st October at MovieMax and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story at the South Barrington 30.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

  • Kaashmora (Tamil and Telugu, both w/English subtitles) at MovieMax, Rosemont 18, Stratford Square, Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge, and Marcus Addison (Telugu only)
  • Ism (Telugu w/English subtitles) at Seven Bridges
  • Kodi (Tamil), Pulimurugan (Malayalam), and Oppam (Malayalam) at MovieMax

Opening October 21: 31st October

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Well, heck. Because of the profiles of the films scheduled for release, I didn’t expect any new Hindi movies to open in the Chicago area in the two weeks before Diwali weekend. Two weeks in a row, I’ve been wrong. The historical drama 31st October opens at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles on October 21, 2016.

Given that 31st October is only releasing in one Chicago area theater, that means it’s probably getting a really limited release across the continent: fewer than thirty theaters, for sure. Taking that into account, I’d be surprised if it makes even $20,000 over the weekend.

The only other Hindi film showing locally is M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story at the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington.

Other Indian films playing in Chicago area theaters:

In Theaters: October 14, 2016

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Well, I guess I was wrong about no new Indian films opening in the Chicago area before October 28. A week after its Indian theatrical release, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles is picking up MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart, the third film by controversial religious figure Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Enjoy this delightful plot synopsis from the film’s Wikipedia page.

The story is about a medieval warrior who fights for the honor of his land and the dignity of the womenfolk. The story travels centuries apart as he emerges in another role as a modern Indian equivalent of James Bond, a stylish top secret agent. The marauding aliens run amok, as they are hundreds of years ahead in technology. Lionheart is their only stumbling block in their march to overpower planet Earth.

I didn’t think things could get much crazier than the original MSG, but I guess I underestimated the self-styled Saint. Feast your eyes upon the trailer for MSG: The Warrior Lion Heart, which opens on Friday at MovieMax.

Besides MSG 3, what other Hindi films are showing in Chicago during the weekend beginning October 14, 2016? M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story has the biggest foothold locally, carrying over for a third week at MovieMax, AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

MovieMax and the South Barrington 30 also hold over Pink and Mirzya, which is worth seeing on the big screen because of how pretty it looks and to hear its amazing soundtrack on a good speaker system.

Other Indian films still in Chicago area theaters:

If you’ve already exhausted your theatrical options, check out my up-to-date lists of Indian films available for streaming in the United States on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.

Opening October 7: Mirzya

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One Hindi movie opens in the Chicago area on October 7, 2016, and it’s likely to be the last new Hindi film we get until Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay release on the 28th. The epic fantasy romance Mirzya hits theaters weeks before its special showing at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Mirzya 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. 15 min.

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story carries over for a second week at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, Cantera 17, AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

Pink gets a fourth week at MovieMax and the South Barrington 30.

The seventh annual Chicago South Asian Film Festival starts tonight and runs through Monday. This year’s lineup features terrific films like Aligarh, Waiting, Masaan, and Island City.

Other Indian movies playing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Opening September 30: M.S. Dhoni — The Untold Story

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The sports biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story is the only new Hindi film opening in the Chicago area on September 30, 2016. Sushant Singh Rajput plays the legendary Indian cricket captain.

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story opens Friday in the following local theaters: AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Century 12 Evanston/Cinearts 6 in Evanston, Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 3 hrs. 4 min.

Banjo carries over for a second week at the South Barrington 30. Pink gets a third week at the South Barrington 30, Cantera 17, and MovieMax, which also holds over Baar Baar Dekho.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Opening September 23: Banjo

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One new Hindi film gets a very limited release in the Chicago area on September 23, 2016. The musical romance Banjo stars Riteish Deshmukh and Nagris Fakhri.

Banjo opens on Friday at the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 21 min.

Baar Baar Dekho gets a third week at the South Barrington 30, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, and the AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

Pink carries over at MovieMax, Cantera 17, and South Barrington 30, which also holds over Rustom for a seventh week. MovieMax gives another week to Naam Hai Akira.

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