Box office: Full steam ahead

While 'Rockstar' is doing good business, 'Tintin' is Spielberg's highest opener in the country Unlike other recent expensive films, for which the box office verdict was only declared at the end of the first week after its release, the Rockstar results are out.  And it looks like the film is already having a fair share of collections. However, trade experts say it remains to be seen how good a business the Ranbir Kapoor starrer does, ultimately at the box office. At the same time, veteran Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg too scored high numbers in India, with his animated film, Adventures Of Tintin. Trade sources peg the first three days' collections for Rockstar at Rs 33 crore India net, though Eros International, co-producers and distributors of the film maintain they've netted R 37 crore. Not surprisingly, the numbers for the film's budget too are debatable. While the official figure is around R 60 crore including print and advertising (P & A), insiders assert that Eros first spent R 63 crore to acquire it from Shree Ashtavinayak, and then another R 15 odd crore for P & A.  Reiterating that it's a plus film, veteran trade analyst, Amod Mehra, says, "After a good opening in the weekend, it's holding good on Monday, which was Children's Day. Though the elders are not appreciating the movie, the youth seems to continue patronising the RK musical. Besides, it has two weeks to rule cinemas as there's no other major release this Friday."  Delhi based distributor Sanjay Ghai of Mukta Arts Ltd. is certain Ranbir's film has caught on with its audience. "It's not for the masses.  But even during Monday morning and afternoon shows, it continued to hold strong in the multiplexes and single screen theatres. It won't have any difficulty in making the required numbers," he says, adding that had Eros made the film themselves, they would have earned more money. It is also learnt that the filmmakers earned about R 26 crore from the satellite and the music. "So after the R 33 crore weekend, it looks set to meet the numbers this week," reiterates Ghai. Prakhar Joshi, Head of Programming at PVR Cinemas, states, "Seeing good occupancy during Monday morning and afternoon shows, Rockstar is set to make good money in the two weeks it has, till Desi Boyz releases," and attributes the film's opening to the hype, content, music and Ranbir's brilliant performance. The only places Imtiaz Ali's film is weak is at centres like Rajasthan, CP and Nizam. "It looks like the distributors will lose about Rs 50 lakh," observes an industry veteran. The Adventures of Tintin netted over Rs 4 crore in the opening weekend. "That's the highest for any animated film in India. Also, it's Spielberg's highest opener in India," points out Joshi, adding that 80 per cent of the revenue is coming from the 3D screens.  Courtesy: Mid-Day.com