Stree gobbles up Paltan, Laila Majnu
Horror films are panning well at the box-office. Stree is a huge hit and The Nun has opened far better than the Hindi releases.
This year when Bollywood has had more hits than any time, it is shocking to discover the abysmally low attendance for J P Dutta’s war drama Paltan and the Imtiaz Ali backed love legend Laila Majnu. Both the films opened to collections as low as five to 10 per cent.
Some multiplex theatres are now even considering replacing the shows of the two ill-fated new releases with last week's hit Stree.
Multiplex personnel observed, “J P Dutta and Imtiaz Ali are not big names today. Dutta has had his hits in the war genre 15-20 years ago. Imtiaz’s last two films Tamasha and When Harry Met Sejal were flops. Moreover, Imtiaz’s brother Sajid, who has directed Laila Majnu, had earlier directed the flop Lekar Hum Diwana Dil. So, there is nothing here to pull audiences in.”
Even though the year is exceptional for our film industry, it isn’t a good time for newcomers or for directors making a comeback. As the newcomers in Laila Majnu have also not been appreciated much.
However, horror films are panning well at the box-office. Stree is a huge hit and The Nun, the new segment of The Conjuring franchise, has opened far better than all the Hindi releases this week.