Tag Archives: The Lunchbox

Opening May 23: Heropanti and Kochadaiiyaan

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There’s only one new Hindi movie opening in the Chicago area May 23, 2014, but it still faces stiff competition. Heropanti — an action vehicle intended to launch the career of Jackie Shroff’s son, Tiger — opens on Friday at the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 20 min.

Heropanti‘s competition comes from Kochadaiiyaan, the long-awaited animated feature starring Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone.

Although the film has been dubbed into multiple languages, the version showing in the Chicago area and across most of the U.S. is in Tamil with English subtitles. Many theaters are carrying the movie in both 2D and 3D, so check the schedule in advance before heading to the theater. Also check the schedules to see if your local theater is one of the several running an early preview showing of Kochadaiiyaan on Thursday night.

On Friday, the following local theaters will carry Kochadaiiyaan: AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Showplace Niles 12 in Niles, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC Loews Streets of Woodfield 20 in Schaumburg, South Barrington 30, Marcus Addison in Addison, and Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge. Its listed runtimes range from 1 hr. 50 min. to 2 hrs. 4 min.

Click here for a full list of U.S. theaters carrying Kochadaiiyaan.

The Lunchbox carries over for another week at the Glen Art Theatre in Glen Ellyn.

Also showing locally this weekend is the Telugu film Manam at Cinemark Tinseltown USA in North Aurora.

Bollywood Box Office: May 16-18

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No new Hindi films of note have opened in North America since 2 States released on April 18, 2014, and it’s starting to show at the box office. According to figures supplied by Rentrak to Bollywood Hungama, 2 States earned only $34,949 from thirty-two theaters in the U.S. and Canada ($1,092 per screen), bringing its total North American earnings to $2,174,356.

Theaters were so desperate for Bollywood films that one theater brought back Queen ($136) and another held over Main Tera Hero ($112) for a seventh week.

Meanwhile, The Lunchbox continued its preplanned roll-out, opening in some new theaters while departing older ones. In its eleventh week of release, it earned $148,840 from 147 theaters. Its per-screen average earnings of $1,013 continued a downward trend that started in earnest in week six.

So why did thirty-two theaters decide to give 2 States a fifth weekend? It has everything to do with per-screen average earnings. Even in its fourth weekend, it was still one of the higher-earning movies in the U.S. and Canada on a per-screen basis. According to Box Office Mojo, its per-screen average of $1,579 ranked 33rd overall for the weekend of May 9-11.

[Box Office Mojo’s figures are generally higher than those reported by Bollywood Hungama/Rentrak.]

However, that ranking doesn’t tell the whole story. Of the movies ranked above it, five were IMAX documentaries and twenty-three were smaller indie pictures that likely had gradual roll-out strategies similar to The Lunchbox (I included The Lunchbox and its $1,595 average in this group).

Omitting those twenty-eight movies that were bound to have higher averages due to scarcity, that left only eight movies showing in a minimum of 500 theaters ranked above 2 States. Two were new releases (Neighbors and Moms’ Night Out), and another two were big-budget action fare (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier).

That made 2 States a pretty good holdover bet, especially since it out-performed plenty of its contemporary Hollywood fare. It beat Brick Mansions and The Quiet Ones in their third week of release. It outpaced Bears, Transcendence, and A Haunted House 2 in their fourth week. It even beat one new release: Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return ($1,410 average).

Sources: Bollywood Hungama and Box Office Mojo

 

In Theaters: May 16, 2014

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There are no new Hindi movies opening in the Chicago area on May 16, 2014. Bollywood fans may want to check out the Hollywood flick Million Dollar Arm when it opens nationwide on Friday, since it features a soundtrack by A.R. Rahman and performances by Hindi-film character actors Darshan Jariwala and Pitobash Tripathy.

On Friday, The Lunchbox opens in a new pair of local theaters: The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago and The Glen Art Theatre in Glen Ellyn.

2 States continues its run at the AMC Showplace Niles 12 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville.

Bollywood Box Office: May 9-11

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Oh, Koyelaanchal. Why did you even bother making the trip overseas? The coal mafia drama fared poorly at the box office during its debut weekend in the U.S. (it didn’t open in Canada), May 9-11, 2014. From eight American theaters it earned a total of $1,762. That’s a per screen average of just $220.

What does $220 per screen look like in the theater itself? I watched Koyelaanchal at the AMC South Barrington 30 in its first showing on Friday morning. I was one of two people in a theater that can accommodate over 200. The other guy left before the movie ended.

The South Barrington 30 ran the film four times per day over the weekend, so each screening earned an average of $18.33. Depending on the time of day, a ticket at the South Barrington 30 costs $6.50, $9, or $10.75. Based on those prices and the average earnings per screening, my experience was typical for all twelve showings over the weekend. Hard for a theater to make money playing a movie for just two or three people at a time.

The Lunchbox continued to perform well in the U.S. and Canada. In its eleventh weekend, it earned $227,610 from 136 theaters ($1,674 average). Its total North American earnings stand at $3,302,145.

Now in its fourth weekend, 2 States also held up nicely. It earned $87,445 from fifty-four theaters ($1,619 average), bringing its total earnings to $2,112,753.

Main Tera Hero stuck around for a fifth weekend in one U.S. theater, earning $60 to bring its total to $275,985.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: May 2-4

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With no new Hindi movies opening in the U.S. or Canada on Friday, May 2, 2014, old favorites continued to pull in crowds at the North American box office. The Lunchbox — now in its tenth week — earned $255,736 from 141 screens ($1,814 average), bringing its total earnings to $2,968,497 so far.

2 States also held up well in its third week. It earned $167,377 from ninety-one screens ($1,839 average) to bring its total North American earnings to $1,978,594.

With The Lunchbox set to pass $3 million in North American earnings this week and 2 States about to the clear the $2 million mark, it’s worth noting the significance of these achievements. Both movies are romantic dramas, as opposed to action-packed spectacles. Neither film features A-list superstars (industry and audience respect for Irrfan Khan notwithstanding).

A look at the last five years of box office receipts reveals similarities among the sixteen Hindi films that managed to earn more than $2 million in North America during that period (five in 2013, five in 2012, two in 2011, one in 2010, and two in 2009). Four films are action sequels: Dhoom 3, Krrish 3, Dabangg 2, and Don 2. A small list of actors show up in multiple movies on the list:

[Somebody in Bollywood needs to cash in by bringing back Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan for Ra.Two, featuring Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif as the villains.]

The Lunchbox continues to earn big, thanks to its partnership with a Hollywood distributor — Sony Pictures Classics — which has dramatically expanded its potential audience compared to a typical Hindi film. Though movie adaptations of popular books are far rarer in India than in Hollywood, the success of 2 States should start to change that.

The only other Hindi movie showing in the U.S. the weekend of May 2-4 was Queen. Now in its ninth week, it earned $190 from one theater, bringing its total earnings to $1,417,405.

Source: Bollywood Hungama (figures supplied by Rentrak)

In Theaters: May 2, 2014

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Theatrical trailers are unreliable indicators of which Hindi films will actually open in the U.S. For example, the trailer for Paan Singh Tomar ran in local theaters a year after the film’s release. Still, I was sure that the coming-of-age drama Purani Jeans would open in the Chicago area. Its trailer ran here for a month, and there was little competition from other Hindi films releasing the same weekend.

Nope. Purani Jeans isn’t opening in Chicago area, and neither is any other new Hindi film. Chicago area Bollywood fans have two options in theaters the weekend beginning Friday, May 2, 2014, and, no, Kaanchi isn’t one of them.

2 States carries over for a third week in six local theaters: AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie, AMC Showplace Niles 12 in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville.

The Lunchbox gets yet another week at Landmark’s Renaissance Place Cinema in Highland Park.

A few Telugu movies are playing in the Chicago area this weekend, too. Both the Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont and Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge are carrying Kotha Janta and Anaamika, a remake of one of my favorite films, Kahaani. The Seven Bridges also carries over Race Gurram for another week.

Bollywood Box Office: April 25-27

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The weekend of April 25-27, 2014, was terrible for new Hindi films in the United States and Canada but great for 2 States.

Of the three new films that released in India on April 25 — Revolver Rani, Samrat & Co., and Kaanchi — only Kaanchi made the trip overseas. Even then, it only opened in the U.S., not Canada. From twenty-eight American theaters, it earned just $14,694. Its first weekend per-screen average of $525 was among the worst of the year so far.

On the other hand, 2 States performed very well in its second weekend in North American theaters. It earned $418,064 from 133 theaters (up from 131 last week) for a per-screen average of $3,143. That brings its total earnings to $1,706,309, moving it ahead of Queen into second place on the list of highest grossing Hindi films in North America in 2014, behind The Lunchbox.

Now in its ninth week of release, The Lunchbox earned $303,292 from 176 theaters ($1,723 average per screen). Total earnings stand at $2,591,410.

Other Hindi films showing in a handful of theaters included:

  • Queen: Week 8; $4,339 from three screens; $1,416,230 total
  • Bhoothnath Returns: Week 3; $2,267 from four screens; $144,860 total
  • Main Tera Hero: Week 4; $122 from one screen; $275,789 total

Source: Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: April 18-20

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The romantic comedy/family drama 2 States produced the best opening weekend for a Hindi film in North America in 2014. During the weekend of April 18-20, it earned $1,026,353 from 131 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Its per-screen average of $7,835 is the year’s second highest, behind the opening weekend of The Lunchbox.

Since the release of Queen on March 7, the North American box office has been hostile territory for newly released Hindi films. The mean opening weekend per-screen average for Hindi films (besides Queen) released between March 7 and April 11 was just $1,085. Between January 10 and February 28 (excepting the anomalously high opening weekend average of The Lunchbox), the mean per-screen average was $3,469.

Queen averaged $4,154 in its debut weekend and went on to dominate in both per-screen average and gross earnings for the next four weeks. It remains to be seen if 2 States heralds a revitalization of audience interest in new Bollywood fare, or if it will follow Queen‘s path and dominate the box office until the next big thing comes along (probably Akshay Kumar’s Holiday on June 6).

In its seventh week of release, Queen continued to beat the mean opening weekend per-screen average of new movies released from March 7 to April 11. It earned $13,291 from nine theaters for an average of $1,477. Its total North American earnings stand at $1,408,129.

The Lunchbox continued its impressive run as it expanded into 156 North American theaters. It earned $343,242 over the weekend, bringing its total to $2,135,144.

In its second weekend in theaters, Bhoothnath Returns earned $23,956 from twenty-three screens, bringing its total to $139,032.

Main Tera Hero closed out its third weekend by earning $5,344 from eleven screens. Its total earnings stand at $274,673.

Source: Bollywood Hungama

 

Opening April 18: 2 States

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One of the most hotly anticipated Bollywood films of the year opens in the Chicago area on April 18, 2014. 2 States stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt as a pair of young people trying to build a relationship despite the objections of their parents.

2 States opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, AMC Showplace Niles 12 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.

It’s worth noting that the Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5 in Niles — one of two local theaters to carry Bollywood movies virtually every week — is no longer managed by Phoenix Big Cinemas, and its present closure may be permanent. If so, that makes the South Barrington 30 the most reliable place to find Hindi films in the Chicago area, followed by the Cantera 17 and River East 21.

Despite a tepid opening weekend, Bhoothnath Returns carries over for a second week at the Cantera 17 and South Barrington 30, which is also carrying over Main Tera Hero and Queen.

The Lunchbox gets another week at Landmark’s Renaissance Place Cinema in Highland Park.

The only other Indian movie playing in the Chicago area this weekend is Race Gurram (Telugu with English subtitles) at the Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont and Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge.

Bollywood Box Office: April 11-13

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Bhoothnath’s return to theaters was less than triumphant. The sequel failed to make a splash in its first weekend in North American theaters, earning only about a quarter of what the original did back in 2008.

The original Bhoothnath debuted on May 9, 2008. The supernatural family flick earned $330,246 from sixty-four North American theaters in its opening weekend for an impressive average of $5,160 per screen. It finished in 20th place in the overall U.S. box office for that weekend.

In contrast, Bhoothnath Returns earned just $87,850 from fifty theaters for an average of $1,757, according to Bollywood Hungama. That total would rank it around 34th place in the overall U.S. box office for the weekend of April 11-13, 2014.

The surprise success story of the weekend was the incredible performance of the Telugu film Race Gurram. In the United States alone, it earned $844,101 from sixty-six screens. That’s an average of $12,789 per screen!

Over the weekend, The Lunchbox became the highest grossing Hindi film of 2014 thus far. The $270,977 it earned from 122 theaters brought its total haul to $1,655,071. With dozens of theaters scheduled to program the movie over the next few months, expect that total to grow significantly.

In its second weekend, Main Tera Hero earned $45,282 from forty-six theaters ($984 average). Its total earnings stand at $252,966.

Queen‘s glorious run appears to be nearing its end. It earned $36,092 from twenty screens ($1,805 average) in its sixth weekend in theaters, bringing its total earnings to $1,385,453.

Sources: Bollywood Hungama and Box Office Mojo