2018 is clearly a defining year.. while Sonu ke Titu Ki Sweety,Raazi, Stree and Badhaai Ho not all but some have left the film fraternity shocked and speechless.
I’d like to single out keenly awaited movies here-Race 3 Eid release and thugs of Hindostan Diwali release . under-performed at the BO. You cannot misjudge or underestimate the audience these days. Yeh Public hain.yeh sabh jaanti hain.
It’s more than evident that the moviegoers of today are extremely ruthless and in no mood to splurge on movies they sense / hear is substandard. In this era of social media, the word of mouth spreads faster than fire and messages / memes posted on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube can make or break a movie within hours.
Thugs of Hindostan was expected to open big and it did smash records from East to West and from North to South on Day 1. Sadly, the film lacked the power to attract audiences in hordes on subsequent days and the decline in biz clearly proved that the content was rejected.
As things stand today,Thugs of Hindostan is likely to fold up between INR 150 cr and INR 175 cr, which is a huge disappointment. PK [2014] grossed INR 340 cr+, while DANGAL [2016] grossed INR 385 cr+ at India BO, while 3 IDIOTS grossed INR 200 cr+ way back in 2009, nine years ago. If Thugs of Hindostan – which is a much bigger film in scale and has the widest release ever for a *Hindi* film – folds up under INR 175 cr, it means something has gone drastically wrong somewhere.
Of course, the makers have recovered a substantial chunk of investment from Satellite and Digital deals, besides fetching a hefty MG amount from China, but the fact cannot be denied that Thugs of Hindostan is an epic disappointment as far as the theatrical biz is concerned.
