Tag Archives: Good Newwz

Bollywood Box Office: August 19-22, 2021

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Akshay Kumar’s period drama BellBottom released into theaters in India and abroad on August 19, 2021, heralding what could be the resumption of regular Hindi theatrical releases (fingers crossed). While cinema restrictions still in place in India limited the film’s earnings potential there, BellBottom‘s North American collections provide some insight into conditions here as well.

According to Bollywood Hungama, BellBottom earned a total of $274,753 from 100 theaters ($2,748 average) in North America in its opening four days. Here’s how those numbers break down by country:

USA – $148,074 from 74 screens = $2,001 average per screen
Canada – $126,679 from 26 screens = $4,872 average per screen

What immediately jumps out is Canada’s contribution of 46% of the total earnings. That’s a really high percentage. But what should we expect from a typical Akshay Kumar movie in North America?

Looking back at Kumar’s four 2019 releases — Kesari, Mission Mangal, Housefull 4, and Good Newwz — here’s what an average opening weekend looked like:

  • 240 theaters — 30 theaters in Canada and 210 in the US
  • $1.1 million total earnings
  • 24% of the earnings from Canada

The amazing thing to me is that the number of theaters showing BellBottom in Canada is about what you’d expect it to be in non-COVID times. (Mission Mangal also opened in 26 theaters.) Compare that to BellBottom opening in about 1/3 of the theaters it would have in the United States, and you can see two very different theatrical landscapes at present.

So what does this mean for other Bollywood movies on the release calendar? Temper your expectations for what you can earn in North America. While earnings in Canada are well below what one would expect under pre-COVID conditions, the country’s theater landscape is downright robust compared to the anemic earnings and small footprint available to Hindi films in the US. BellBottom‘s $2,748 per-screen average is respectable compared to Hollywood theatrical releases right now, but that’s for a highly anticipated film from a marquee star. A smaller movie like Chehre will earn much, much less. I suspect it’s going to be a while before the US is again a big contributor to a Hindi film’s box office haul.

Streaming Video News: February 21, 2020

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with dozens of Indian titles added in the last week, including today’s addition of the comedy Good Newwz, starring Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kiara Advani. Good Newwz was 2019’s second highest earning Bollywood film in the United States, and the only other Hindi movie besides Gully Boy to earn more than $5 million here last year. Two 2020 Telugu releases were added to Prime this week as well: 3 Monkeys and Degree College.

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with the additions of the Emraan Hashmi-Rishi Kapoor thriller The Body and the Netflix Original Hindi dance film Yeh Ballet. Another Netflix Original movie on the way is Guilty, starring Kiara Advani as the truth-seeking girlfriend of a popular college student accused of rape. Guilty debuts on Netflix March 6.

Opening January 24: Panga and Street Dancer 3

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Two new Hindi films open in Chicago area theaters the weekend beginning January 24, 2020. Bareilly Ki Barfi director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari returns with the kabbadi drama Panga, starring Kangana Ranaut, Jassi Gill, and Richa Chadda.

Panga opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 11 min. Its streaming partner is Hotstar.

Also new this weekend is Street Dancer 3 (as it’s being called here; in India it’s Street Dancer 3D). It was originally planned as a sequel to ABCD 2 before changing production houses. Thus, Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor return for Street Dancer 3, but as different characters.

Street Dancer 3 opens Friday at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 12 in Rosemont, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 25 min. Its streaming partner is Amazon Prime.

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior carries over for a third week at MovieMax, Niles 12, South Barrington 24, Cantera, Naperville 16, and Woodridge 18.

Chhapaak also gets a third week at MovieMax, while the South Barrington 24 holds over Good Newwz for a fifth week.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):

Opening January 10: Chhappak and Tanhaji

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It’s a busy weekend for Indian films in the Chicago area, including two new Hindi releases opening January 10, 2020. First is Raazi director Meghna Gulzar’s acid attack survivor drama Chhappak, starring Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey.

Chhappak opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Regal Cantera in Warrenville, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 2 min. Its streaming partner is Hotstar.

The weekend’s other new release is the period action film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, starring Ajay Devgn, Kajol, and Saif Ali Khan.

Tanhaji opens Friday at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera, Naperville 16, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 15 min. Its streaming partner is also Hotstar.

Good Newwz carries over for a third week at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Woodridge 18.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend (all films have English subtitles):