Trade experts and critics are divided over the alleged success of Diwali release Housefull 4, with many accusing the producers of inflating box-office numbers
The war among film producers, the lack of unity in the entertainment industry and the determination to create a blockbuster against all odds, has never been more explicitly evident than in the case of Housefull 4 — a film that is doing well enough to be considered a hit but is being savagely attacked from within the industry for inflating the collections.
Even the otherwise-uncontroversial producer Ronnie Screwvala came up with a tweet that seems to be a direct dig at the official box-office collections being put out by the Housefull 4 producers.
“Isn’t it time everyone reports Box Office numbers accurately! @KomalNahta @taran_adarsh...accuracy of information builds CREDIBILITY which the movie industry needs so badly...and not sure how long-to appease egos will studios and all keep encouraging pumped up data on numbers (sic),” he tweeted.
In the meantime, the usually diplomatic Akshay Kumar came to his film’s defence, stating, “Thank you for loving us and laughing with us. It is because of your love we are where we are today. Thanks to all my fans and audiences who have poured unconditional love on #HouseFull4. Thank you for showing us that nothing beats hate more than love.”
When asked about Ronnie Screwvala’s disparaging tweet, a source close to producer Sajid Nadiadwala says, “Ronnie is a dear friend of Sajid Nadiadwala. They have collaborated on four films in the past. Ronnie would never speak like that about Sajid’s film. Let him come out and openly accuse Housefull 4 of fudged box-office figures. Then we’ll see.”
Taking a swipe at Screwvala, the source adds, “Shouldn’t Ronnie be worrying about the box-office figures of his own film, The Sky Is Pink? I would say the collections were not in the pink of health.”
Meanwhile, trade experts are divided in their opinion on Housefull 4 collections.
Says Atul Mohan, “Even the bad reviews have worked in its favour big-time. Mindless hai to kaise… people are curious to know that. The marketing team of HF4 has rightly pitched the product, be it with the Bala challenge or the train travelling campaign. An ensemble cast, a successful franchise and a comedy is what attracts more footfalls during Diwali and HF4 has proved that.”
However, trade insider Girish Johar has his reservations on the figures officially quoted by the Housefull makers. “Seeing the bullish trend of the year so far which was around 15 per cent plus, I was expecting the Diwali releases combined to at least give a 10 per cent jump vis-a-vis last year’s Diwali collections.
Obviously, Housefull 4 was to be a major contributor to that pie, but it has been a subdued Diwali box-office so far. Traditionally, the day after Diwali is huge for the Indian BO and has even set new records in the past, but that has not happened this year.”
Bihar’s prominent distributor Kishan Damani comments, “Housefull 4 got the advantage of Akshay Kumar’s stardom and the brand pull of the Housefull series, but the collections have been highly exaggerated. The actual total four-day collection is approximately Rs 70-72 crore while the producers have reported Rs 87 crore.” He adds, “Weak competition from other releases gave it a bigger advantage. The drop in the coming days will be huge, though it may enjoy another weekend due to the absence of any good new release.”
