SELFIEE’S DEBACLE PUTS THE INDUSTRY INTO TRAUMA
The year 2023 began on a very rocking note with the blockbuster success of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan. It was expected that the momentum would continue and that the industry would also deliver a few hits in the month of February. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Shehzada, starring Kartik Aaryan, opened on a poor note and is expected to end its lifetime with around Rs. 32 crores. However, the bigger blow was delivered by Selfiee, starring Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi. The film always seemed a bit unexciting. Yet, the hope was that it’ll open in the range of Shehzada, that is, around Rs. 5.75 crores.
The advance booking of Selfiee opened very late and with very few tickets sold, one expected that Selfiee will open poorly. But still, the hope was that it’ll get spot bookings. That, however, didn’t happen the way it was intended to. Selfiee opened at a shocking Rs. 2.60 crores. It didn’t grow over the weekend as the word of mouth was not extraordinary. And on Monday, it dropped to around Rs. 1.15 crores. Its first week collections are expected to be around Rs. 14 crores and it won’t even be able to cross the Rs. 20 crores mark.
On top of it, there’s no major release this week. A small film, InCar, is being released in Hindi as well as Southern languages but it carries negligible buzz and awareness. The Hollywood film, Creed III, will get better footfalls. On OTT, Gulmohar, starring Manoj Bajpayee and Sharmila Tagore, will probably make the maximum noise on social media this week. It premieres tomorrow on Disney+ Hotstar.
With few films finding takers in theatres, several multiplexes will keep some screens shut from tomorrow. All eyes are now on Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. It releases on Wednesday, March 8 and is expected to end this dry period in Bollywood.