Bollywood Business Talk With Taran Adarsh - Slump continues!

By Taran Adarsh, Bollywood Hungama News Network

The slump continues! The two new releases haven't really quenched the thirst of the industry. At least BHOOTHNATH fared slightly better, but JIMMY was panned by almost everyone who watched it.

BHOOTHNATH had a slow Friday, picked up on Saturday, while Sunday was the best. But the business came sliding downwards from Monday onwards. Let's check out the day-wise response to the film at Indore multiplexes, one of the barometers.

In the first place, what does one attribute the poor start to? A prominent producer feels that the film deserved better promotion. That the film starred two superstars [Big B, SRK] should've been highlighted aggressively via all mediums of promotions. I endorse this viewpoint. Sure, SRK has a guest appearance, but his presence in a film adds so much weight to a project. Why did the makers start running the SRK promos so late?

Did cricket eat into BHOOTHNATH's business? Partly! The matches are nearing the climax and I feel, the last few days will be very hard for most movies. IPL has caught the fancy of one and all. Let me cite an instance. At the premiere of JIMMY at Cinemax Versova, the guests were more interested in knowing what the score was [a giant television screen has been set up in the foyer of this plush multiplex], rather than watch Mimoh's debut film.

Back to BHOOTHNATH. The week-days haven't been good, but there's hope that it might stay afloat in its second weekend. If it does, it might scrape through. If it doesn't, bad luck!

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