The magic touch of Akshay Kumar seen in the phenomenal success of Singh is Kiing is apparently missing in his latest film Chandni Chowk to China, which the critics have predicted to be a damp squib at the box office. The film distributed by Warner Brothers' got average bookings of around 70 per cent over the weekend, compared to full houses associated with blockbusters. The storyline revolves around the Great Wall of China and is a comedy, shot at exotic locales in China.
Utpal Acharya, vice-president, programming and distribution, Inox Leisure, says that after the initial burst, bookings did not go as expected. "Expectations were definitely high for the film. But even the paid previews had only 75 to 80 per cent occupancy. The first show had 55-60 per cent occupancy, but that might soon settle down to 65 - 70 per cent. Compared to films like Dostana, for which we had impromptu special screenings that ran house-full despite being unannounced, this is not a very encouraging performance." "The paid preview was only 55 per cent full and Friday was similar. The weekend won't go beyond 70 per cent and I am very disappointed," says Devang Sampat, senior vice-president of Cinemax India, which runs a bevy of screens across the country.
A similar trend is seen in other multiplexes, too. Vishal Kapur, COO of Fun Cinemas, which runs multiplexes across the country says: "On Friday, the occupancy dropped to 55 to 60 per cent. Though on Saturday, it went up. We hope it will improve."
Joydeep Ghosh Roy, general manager, marketing and sales, PVR, one of the leading cinema exhibitors of India, said, "The paid previews had 100 per cent occupancy. However, the film has got mixed reviews and we are concerned."
The attack by critics has made exhibitors worried. Anjali Malhotra, brand manager, Adlabs, says, "We have had a good occupancy, so far. We are hoping that the reviews will not affect the film." Komal Nahata, film trade analyst, has written off the film as a box office disaster. "The film is likely to be totally rejected by audiences," he says.
Nevertheless, Neeraj Goswami, director-sales, India, Warner Brothers, is still upbeat. "So far, we have had an excellent run," he said.