Despite all the pre-release hype, mega budget film 'Bombay Velvet' has failed to live up to expectations. A look at other highly anticipated movies that proved to be damp squibs
Hype is as much part of the moviemaking business as the film itself. Be it the lead actors' charm or the PR machinery going on overdrive, many projects are surrounded by enormous media build-up before their release. While that may ensure a great opening, it is not necessary that the movie will be a hit. A case in point is Anurag Kashyap's 'Bombay Velvet', which hit the marquee last Friday.
Also read: 'Bombay Velvet' - Movie Review
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Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in a still from 'Bombay Velvet'. The film, which was made on a budget of over Rs 130 crore, has managed to collect only around Rs 16 crore in its opening weekend
Made on a humongous budget apparently exceeding Rs 130 crore, the film has managed to collect only Rs 16.10 crore in its opening weekend. Right from recreating Bombay of the '50s and '60 in Sri Lanka to having a never-seen-before jodi (Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma), the film got a lot of publicity only to leave the audience sighing eventually.
Also read: Box office: 'Piku' overshadows 'Bombay Velvet'
hitlist gives you a lowdown on some films that failed to live up to the hype surrounding them...
'Jai Ho'
Budget: Rs 75-80crore
Collections: Rs 116crore
Lowdown: Known as the boss of the box office, Salman Khan has delivered many big hits and raked in big bucks. His mere presence in a film automatically becomes its USP given his enormous fan following. This project also made headlines as the star was to romance a newcomer (Daisy Shah) and the media followed her to various events just for a glimpse. Though the film was expected to shatter all box office records, it didn't.
'Himmatwala'
Budget: Rs 70-80crore
Collections: Rs 30-40crore
Lowdown: It was riding high on a promotional blitzkrieg and the fact that it was a remake of the 1983 hit film with the Naino mein sapna song being reprised. But when it hit the big screen, it left the audience stunned. What was one of the most anticipated movies of 2013, turned out to be one of the biggest flops of the year, panned by the critics and audience alike. Though the Ajay Devgn and Tamannah Bhatia-starrer grossed R12 crore on its opening day, it could not sustain the momentum.
'Blue'
Budget: Rs 90-100crore
Collections: Rs 54crore
Lowdown: Publicised as Bollywood's first underwater action adventure flick, this Akshay Kumar-starrer couldn't stay afloat at the box office for a long time. The Anthony D'Souza-directed film even had a song featuring Kylie Minogue (Chiggy Wiggy) and was high on glamour and stunts. But the audience's reaction left the makers feeling blue. Besides Akki, the multistarrer featured Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan and Lara Dutta in lead roles.
'Ra.One'
Budget: Rs 130-140crore
Collections: Rs 140crore
Lowdown: Shah Rukh Khan's superhero movie was aggressively marketed as the star launched a Ra.One play station game and even got American singer Akon to croon in Hindi (Chammak Challo). The movie's promotions were done on a grand scale. Though it set off fireworks during its Diwali opening, the numbers dropped significantly in the second week.
'Kites'
Budget: Rs 60-70crore
Collections: Rs 45-50crore
Lowdown: Contrary to its title, the film crash landed at the box office despite breathtaking thrills, exotic locales and the presence of Mexican actress Barbara Mori opposite Hrithik Roshan. It was touted as Bollywood's first international project and made a lot of pre-release news — from a fallout between director Anurag Basu and producer Rakesh Roshan to an alleged affair between Hrithik and Barbara. Ticket rates hit the roof, but after a frenzied weekend, footfalls fell drastically.
'Besharam'
Budget: Rs 80-85crore
Collections: Rs 59crore
Lowdown: After a brilliant performance in 'Barfi', not only Ranbir Kapoor's fans but even critics had great expectations from him in this film. There was a lot of media hype about the young actor sharing screen space with his parents, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, for the first time. However, the Abhinav Kashyap film failed to capitalise on all the PR buzz and Ranbir did not return to the screen for over a year.
'Mausam'
Budget: Rs 70-75crore
Collections: Rs 65-70crore
Lowdown: There was a lot of noise about Pankaj Kapur's directorial debut starring his son, Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles. Even the film's poster was compared to a scene from the Oscar-winning 'Titanic' (1997). But when it was opened to the public, they gave it a thumbs down. While it had a fair opening in multiplexes, the crowd response in single screen theatres was rather dull.
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