Friday’s Clash : Cricket vs Crime, trade analysts kick in

Friday clashes are now reduced to a wispy whimper at the box office. Two or more middling films are released in theatres for no other reason except to fulfil a contractual obligation.

According to trade experts, there is “zero interest” in the two releases this week, one a crime thriller Hit: The First Case and the other sports biopic Shabaash Mithu .

Says trade analyst Atul Mohan, “There is absolutely zero buzz for any of the releases this week. Posting few stuff on Shabaash Mithu is not marketing. The producers Viacom 18 seem to have no interest in their own film. You have to generate excitement in trade first which translates to public gradually. These marketing guys in corporates will never understand how films are made and how they should be promoted. Still, you never know if any of the films is good it may appeal to the audience.” Roshan Singh a leading Bihar exhibitor admits Hit: The First Case looks more interesting than Shabaash Mithu.“ Rajkummar Rao investigating a murder is of some interest to the audience. And if the suspense is sustained till the end, then Hit: The First Case with see a demographic growth from the second day. Shabaash Mithu is one more sports biopic of little interest to anyone.” Producer and film expert Girish Johar opines, “The trailer of HIT: The First Case is very interesting and intriguing. The film seems a perfect thriller and is banking upon good word of mouth to start with. It should open anywhere around 1.5 to 2 crore mark and from there on can build upon. The other film Shabaash Mithu, with Taapsee and directed by Srijit Mukerjee is a sports biopic. This too is an urban film and is banking upon its word of mouth for its journey at the box office. I think it will open around the 1 crore to start with and build upon further. Personally, I am equally excited to watch both the films on the big screen.”

Prominent film exhibitor Akshay Rathi feels the appeal of both films is limited. “Both seem interesting films. But from what I can see they have a very urban appeal. They should do well in the urban multiplexes. In addition, there is Thor from the previous week which should continue to do well. But the one that we are now waiting for is Brahmastra which should have a splendid run at the box office in all probability.”

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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