 "<i>Tanu Weds Manu Returns</i> set to be first 100 cr movie in 2015")
If it manages to do so, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, directed by Anand Rai and produced by Eros, would beat Akshay Kumar-starrers Gabbar is Back and Baby in the race to the Rs 100-crore club. It has already collected Rs 76.5 crore. Starring Kangana in a double role (Tanu and Kusum) and R Madhavan as Manu Sharma, the film is a sequel to the 2011 hit Tanu Weds Manu.
While the earlier movie dealt with the male and female lead falling in love, this movie deals with their life four years after the marriage. Made on a budget of Rs 30 crore, the film was distributed in 2,200 screens in India and 350-odd screens abroad.
Suniel Wadhwa, independent distributor and box office analyst, said, “Tanu Weds Manu Returns takes the cake by garnering more than Rs 70 crore net box office for first week in the domestic market. This is all the more impressive considering the sequel’s opening weekend of Rs 38 crore is equal to lifetime business of the earlier part.” He added, “The movie had strong brand equity. That combined with great reviews and positive word of mouth promotion for its witty screenplay and dialogue has ensured that the movie will hold well over the next few weeks. A total of Rs 100 crore is virtually guaranteed in 11 days (since release) making it the first bona fide super hit of 2015.” The movie started its innings at the box office with Rs 8.7 crore on release day — May 22. It followed with massive jumps over the next couple of days, to finish the opening weekend with Rs 38 crore in net box office collections.
As Wadhwa pointed out, the movie has held well after the opening weekend, which resulted in it collecting as much on weekdays, as during the weekend, which is a rarity in Indian cinema. Of course, added to the poisitive word of mouth, the ongoing summer vacations have also helped get footfalls for the movie.
“We feel that TWMR ’s success lies not only in its collection, but in some very commendable observations.
The film was released on the weekend of the IPL (Indian Premier League) semis and finals, and still got among the highest weekend collections of the year. Additionally, it was not a holiday weekend, which usually is the case with movies that have high collections. Lastly, the fact that the movie’s Monday collection was at par or even slightly higher than its Friday (opening day) collection, is a very strong sign of the movie’s success,” says Nandu Ahuja, senior vice president, India theatrical, Eros.
More importantly, just like Queen , the movie is already profitable for the producer. Made at Rs 30 crore, the film needed to make Rs 60 crore (net after tax) at the box office to break even for the producers, which it achieved in the first week of release. Internationally, the film has grossed Rs 25 crore until Thursday, which further adds to it its profitability.
With this and Piku earlier in the month, Bollywood trade pundits are smiling ear to ear, hoping that the good run at the box office is carried forward by releases in June like Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do and ABCD 2 .
“In the first quarter, the sentiment towards movies was at a low since we had a bad start ( Tevar tanked) and then the (ICC Cricket) World Cup happened, where India performed unexpectedly well. In April and May, however, the audiences came back to the cinema halls and despite flops in Bombay Velvet and Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! , the sentiment is turning positive, thanks to content-led films like Piku and Tanu Weds Manu Returns in May and NH10 and Dum Lagae Ke Haisha before that,” says an executive with a leading multiplex chain in the country.
Piku , starring Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan in the lead, was released on May 8 and went on to make Rs 100 crore globally in its third week. This is the first movie with Bachchan that has made a global Rs 100 crore (in present time; not factoring inflation related increase to his older films). Made at a modest Rs 32 crore, this film has been is highly profitable.