“Sachin: A Billion Dreams” opened with fairly decent collections. It could be because of the fact that he is an icon and that the cricket fever is in the air with the IPL just having got over even as the Champions Trophy is slated to commence come 1 June.
The film has not been dramatised and that limits its appeal to those who are not cricket buffs. For example, the added spice of the two romance stories in Dhoni’s life added to the humane side of the protagonist’s character in M S Dhoni: The Untold Story. Here, though you are told that Sachin and Anjali’s romance lasted four years before they decided to tie the knot, there is no romance depicted on screen.
As the film proceeds, it is as much about the rise of the Indian cricket in the last 20 or so years, as it is about the ups and downs in Sachin’s cricketing career.
The film collected a little over seven crore on day one while the rise on Saturday was negligible. The film did its best on Sunday by collecting around nine crore to end its first weekend with Rs 23.4 crore.
* “Hindi Medium,” following much appreciation and a positive word of mouth, has gone on to become a hit even as it entered its second week. This small budget film kept improving its collections as the week progressed and even managed to collect better figures on its eighth day compared to first.
The film collected more in the rest of the week than it did in its opening weekend which is a rare feat nowadays. The film collected Rs 23.5 crore for the opening week and is reported to be holding well through its second weekend.
* “Half Girlfriend” failed to appeal to the youth which it was expected to draw. The rich girl poor boy old-fashioned angle of the story, indifferently treated, had little to hold the interest of the viewer. The film dropped during the week day to end its first week with a total of Rs 44. 8 crore. The price the film’s domestic rights have been acquired at, will lead to a shortfall in the recovery of over Rs 10 crore.
* “Meri Pyaari Bindu” emerged as an average film. Being a YRF film sans a price tag but enjoying YRF brand equity, it stands to earn little something for the company and all of that from the domestic theatrical exploitation. The film’s collection hovers around Rs 10 crore mark.
* “Sarkar” failed miserably. Failing to provide any variety or novelty from its earlier two versions nor any continuity or link to the previous stories, it takes the viewer for granted and pays for it. The film collected around Rs 50 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 6.7 crore.
* “Bahubali 2: The Conclusion” (Hindi-Dubbed) continues with its winning run, setting records in the process. The film collected Rs 29.4 crore in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 478.9 crore.
