Tag Archives: Mubarakan

Streaming Video News: November 5, 2017

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with a big new addition to the catalog. 2017’s Mubarakan is now available for streaming. I missed this Arjun Kapoor-Anil Kapoor comedy in the theater, but it made over $700,000 in North America, and I’m interested to see why it was so popular. Netflix has added over thirty new Hindi titles in the last month, presumably to bulk up its catalog to compete with the hundreds of Bollywood movies available for streaming on Amazon’s Heera channel. Many of the newly added movies are just filler material — junk like Karzzzz — but the addition of Mubarakan and other 2017 releases like Baadshaho and Lucknow Central show that Netflix is trying to make this a fight.

For everything else new on Netflix — Bollywood or not — check Instant Watcher.

Bollywood Box Office: September 8-10, 2017

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September 8-10, 2017 was a slow weekend for all three newly released Hindi films in North America. According to Rentrak figures supplied to Bollywood Hungama, Poster Boys made the biggest impact here, earning $50,282 from 68 theaters ($739 average). Distributor Sony/Columbia reported figures of $51,289 from 50 theaters ($1,026 average) to Box Office Mojo, and I’m inclined to trust Mojo’s theater count. Poster Boys fared best in Canada, earning virtually the same amount — $25,097 versus $25,203 in the United States — from 18 theaters, versus 32 theaters in the US. Canadian theaters averaged earnings of $1,393, while US theaters averaged $788.

The weekend’s two other new films only opened in the US. Lipstick Under My Burkha took in $21,793 from 21 theaters ($1,038 average). Daddy earned $19,652 from 50 theaters ($393 average), though I’m dubious about that high theater count.

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan performed the best of all the Hindi films showing in North America, taking in $128,442 from 80 theaters ($1,605 average) in its second weekend of release, according to Box Office Mojo. Its 49% holdover is fifth best for the year, right behind that of Bareilly Ki Barfi, another romantic comedy starring Ayushmann Khurrana. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan‘s total after two weekends stands at $511,875.

That’s better than the $451,068 that Baadshaho has earned in its two weekends of release. The heist movie saw its business drop by about 80%, earning $55,192 from 71 theaters ($777 average) over the weekend, according to Bollywood Hungama.

Other Hindi movies showing in North America:

  • Bareilly Ki Barfi: Week 4; $26,518 from 21 theaters; $1,263 average; $518,086 total
  • Toilet — Ek Prem Katha: Week 5; $23,360 from 27 theaters; $865 average; $1,848,096 total
  • A Gentleman: Week 3; $5,918 from 15 theaters; $395 average; $406,345 total
  • Mubarakan: Week 7; $552 from one theater; $736,862 total

Sources: Box Office Mojo and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: September 1-3, 2017

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Labor Day weekend featured an unexpectedly close North American box office battle between two newly released Hindi films. The action flick Baadshaho narrowly won its race against the romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, despite opening in 1.5 times the number of theaters. From September 1-3, 2017, Baadshaho earned $268,286 from 119 theaters ($2,255 average), according to Bollywood Hungama. 143 Cinema reports earnings for Shubh Mangal Saavdhan of $259,999 from 80 theaters ($3,250 average) — less than $10,000 behind Baadshaho.

Bollywood Hungama reports individual country data for the United States and Canada instead of the more common practice of combining them into one North American territory, revealing the fact that Shubh Mangal Saavdhan actually beat Baadshaho by $35,000 in the US! Although Hungama’s report unfortunately doesn’t include Canadian figures for Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, the difference between Hungama’s total and 143 Cinema’s total puts Canada’s contribution at about $40,000 — though I’d love to know from how many theaters to see how it compared to Baadshaho‘s Canadian per-theater average of $4,513.

Given A Gentleman‘s slow opening weekend in North America, the action comedy held up surprisingly well in its second weekend of release. Box Office Mojo reports a 45% weekend-to-weekend holdover, which is seventh best for the year. A Gentleman added $86,556 from 130 theaters ($666 average) to bring its total to $361,631.

It was a good weekend for slightly older releases as well. Toilet: Ek Prem Katha closed out its fourth weekend with $77,714 from 48 theaters ($1,619 average), bringing its total to $1,792,987. Bareilly Ki Barfi was close behind with third-weekend earnings of $70,183 from 25 theaters ($2,807 average). Its total stands at $462,952. Mubarakan hung around one last theater for a sixth weekend, earning $21 to bring its total to $736,310.

Sources: 143 Cinema, Box Office Mojo, and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: August 25-27, 2017

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A Gentleman got drubbed during what was a historically terrible weekend at the North American box office. From August 25-27, 2017, A Gentleman earned $191,530 from 135 theaters ($1,419 average), according to Box Office Mojo. That’s a grim opening weekend average for a movie that released in more than 100 theaters. It’s also less than 15% of what Bang Bang — an earlier Fox Star Studios action comedy — earned during its opening weekend in 2014. If the studio was hoping that the genre would bring in the crowds irrespective of the film’s star power, they miscalculated. Too bad, because A Gentleman is a fun movie.

Bareilly Ki Barfi, on the other hand, held up very well in its second weekend of release, holding onto 51% of its opening weekend business, according to Rentrak figures supplied to Bollywood Hungama. A 25% holdover is the median for Hindi films in North America this year, and anything better than 40% is great. In its second weekend, Bareilly Ki Barfi earned $95,503 from 37 theaters ($2,581 average). I was a little surprised to see it lose seven theaters after such a good opening weekend. Still, its total presently stands at $352,935, which is a lot of money for a movie that only opened in 44 theaters.

Toilet: Ek Prem Katha continued its superb run as well. It took just three weeks to earn what Jolly LLB 2 earned in six weeks of release in North America. Toilet‘s total stands at $1,659,253, after third weekend earnings of $127,584 from 83 theaters ($1,537 average).

Jab Harry Met Sejal squeaked past Badrinath Ki Dulhania into third place for the year. JHMS‘s fourth weekend earnings of $6,350 from ten theaters ($635 average) brought its total to $2,003,665 — just $3,382 ahead of BKD.

Mubarakan stuck around for a fifth weekend at two theaters, earning $616 ($308 average) and bringing its total to $736,070.

Sources: Box Office Mojo and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: August 18-20, 2017

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Bareilly Ki Barfi got off to a flying start in North America, despite opening in a tiny number of theaters. From August 18-20, 2017, the romantic comedy earned $185,699 from 44 theaters. Its opening weekend per-theater average of $4,220 is sixth best for the year, just ahead of Hindi Medium‘s $3,892 average. In its second weekend of release, sleeper hit Hindi Medium added a theater and retained two-thirds of its opening weekend business. Its total earnings were ultimately 3.5 times its opening weekend total. If Bareilly Ki Barfi follows Hindi Medium‘s path, that would mean a second weekend total of around $125,000 and an ultimate total of $650,000. I hope Bareilly Ki Barfi can pull off that feat, because it’s really, really good.

Bareilly Ki Barfi wasn’t the only Hindi film to have a good weekend in North America. In its second weekend, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha held on to nearly 60% of its opening weekend returns, posting earnings of $398,182 from 143 theaters ($2,757 average). Its total earnings of $1,381,754 are already double the amount it earned last weekend. Akshay Kumar’s other headlining release of 2017 — Jolly LLB 2 — had a better opening weekend, whereas Toilet had the better second weekend, holding on to a greater share of its first weekend business. Let’s see how close Toilet can come to Jolly LLB 2‘s $1,641,082 total.

Other Hindi films still in North American theaters:

  • Jab Harry Met Sejal: Week 3; $31,337 from 40 theaters; $783 average; $1,981,227 total
  • Mubarakan: Week 4; $4,829 from eight theaters; $604 average; $733,800 total

Sources: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening August 18: Bareilly Ki Barfi

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New Bollywood romantic comedy Bareilly Ki Barfi — starring Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Rajkummar Rao — opens in Chicago area theaters on August 18, 2017. This is the second Hindi feature by director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, who made a strong debut with Nil Battey Sannata.

Bareilly Ki Barfi opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 3 min.

Toilet: Ek Prem Katha carries over for a second week at all of the above theaters, plus the AMC River East 21 in Chicago and Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison.

After a disappointing second weekend in North American theaters, Jab Harry Met Sejal only carries over at MovieMax and the South Barrington 24, which also holds on to Mubarakan.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: August 11-13, 2017

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Toilet: Ek Prem Katha‘s opening weekend returns in North America were consistent with the kinds of numbers its star, Akshay Kumar, has been putting up here since early 2016. From August 11-13, 2017, Toilet earned $670,447 from 198 theaters ($3,386 average; adjusted average of $3,788 from 177 theaters*). That total is less than $5,000 off from the $674,890 Housefull 3 earned in the United States and Canada last summer in its opening weekend. Kumar’s last five releases (including Toilet) have averaged opening weekend earnings of $732,399.

Jab Harry Met Sejal‘s business in North America took a nosedive during its second weekend in theaters, falling by 85% from its first weekend. That’s a worse week-to-week holdover than Tubelight‘s 83% drop. JHMS earned $195,158 from 204 theaters — a per-theater average of just  $957. Its total earnings stand at $1,862,066.

From an exhibitor’s perspective, Mubarakan was the better bet, averaging $1,177 from 21 theaters with third-weekend earnings of $24,708. Mubarakan‘s total stands at $721,984.

*Bollywood Hungama frequently counts Canadian theaters twice in when they report figures for a film’s first few weeks of release. When possible, I verify theater counts at Box Office Mojo, but I use Bollywood Hungama as my primary source because they provide a comprehensive and consistent — if flawed — data set.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Gitesh Pandya, and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening August 11: Toilet — Ek Prem Katha

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Akshay Kumar’s Independence Day release for 2017 is Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (“Toilet: A Love Story“). The social issue-focused romantic comedy opens in the Chicago area on August 11 and co-stars Dum Laga Ke Haisha‘s Bhumi Pednekar.

Toilet opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 35 min.

Following a good opening weekend in North American theaters, Jab Harry Met Sejal carries over for a second week at all of the above theaters, plus the AMC Dine-In Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

Mubarakan gets a third week at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera 17, and Woodridge 18.

Starting Friday, the South Barrington 24 and Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale carry the (English subtitled) Pakistani movie Chain Aye Na, which has the best LOL trailer of the year, surpassing the awful Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai trailer. Oh, the poorly edited background music!

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: August 4-6, 2017

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Director Imtiaz Ali’s Jab Harry Met Sejal fared very well during an otherwise lousy weekend at the North American box office. From August 4-6, 2017, Jab Harry Met Sejal earned $1,279,586 from 280 theaters ($4,570 average). That’s the third best opening weekend total for a Bollywood movie in North America this year, behind Baahubali 2 and Raees. Those three titles also happen to be the only 2017 releases to earn more than $1 million in their opening weekends here. Canada contributed nearly 20% of the total earnings for the weekend from less than 10% of the total theaters. Canadian per-theater averages were more than double those of theaters in the United States: $9,485 in Canada versus $4,067 in the US.

Mubarakan also performed well in its second weekend of release, holding on to 43% of its opening weekend business (the fifth best performance this year, in that category). Mubarakan earned $131,319 from 148 theaters ($887 average; adjusted average of $1,026 from 128 theaters*), bringing its total earnings to $620,627 — doubling its opening weekend total of $305,449 in just ten days.

Nine theaters in the US held special showings of Baahubali 2 on Saturday night to celebrate the film’s hundredth day of release. With tickets priced at $1, those showings took in $1,001 — bumping Baahubali 2‘s North American total across all languages to $20,792,334. (In case you missed my post from yesterday, Baahubali 2 is now available on Netflix in the US and Canada!)

Other Hindi movies still in US theaters:

  • Mom: Week 5; $1,234 from three theaters; $411 average; $607,473 total
  • Munna Michael: Week 3; $89 from one theater; $105,532 total
  • Jagga Jasoos: Week 4; $88 from one theater; $859,773 total

*Bollywood Hungama frequently counts Canadian theaters twice in when they report figures for a film’s first few weeks of release. When possible, I verify theater counts at Box Office Mojo, but I use Bollywood Hungama as my primary source because they provide a comprehensive and consistent — if flawed — data set.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Gitesh Pandya, and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

 

Opening August 4: Jab Harry Met Sejal

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Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma reunite for director Imtiaz Ali’s romantic comedy Jab Harry Met Sejal, opening in Chicago area theaters on August 4, 2017.

JHMS opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Century 12 Evanston in Evanston, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC Dine-In Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and AMC Loews Crestwood 18 in Crestwood. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 23 min.

Mubarakan carries over for a second week at the River East 21, MovieMax, Rosemont 18, South Barrington 24, Marcus Addison, Cantera 17, and Woodridge 18.

MovieMax also hosts a special showing of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion in Telugu on Saturday, August 5, at 8 p.m. Tickets are only $1!

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend: