ZNMD and Harry Potter rule at the box-office

It was a tug-of-war of sorts with a much-hyped Hindi film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and much-awaited Hollywood release Harry Potter and the box-office collections have been very encouraging.

Friday saw the release of two of the most anticipated films,Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) that had a high voltage star-cast like Hrithik Roshan,Farhan Akhtar,Abhay Deol,Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin. Then there was the film from the Harry Potter franchise,which brings an end to its chapter,Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2. With the Bollywood and a Hollywood film at the tug-of-war,this weekend,it was a nail-biting situation at the box- office,but the results clearly state that it was a win-win situation for both films.

It was the biggest weekend of the year for the multiplexes all over India with two of the most-awaited films that released,Sunil Punjabi,CEO of Cinemax,stated. While ZNMD had 90 per cent and above occupancy,Harry Potter received 80 per cent. But as compared to Potters previous film releases,this one took away all the cream as it created record at the opening weekend of the box-office,as compared to any other international releases.

ZNMD,that was made at Rs 55 crore including prints and publicity,garnered 24 crore from its satellite rights,7 crore from its music and its box-office collections over the weekend is Friday was 8.15 crore,Saturday 9.25 crore and Sunday 11.2 crore. Overall,the film gathered a net collection of 28.42 crore in India according to the information provided by the publicist.

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Though ZNMD received an occupancy of 70 per cent,80 per cent,even 100 per cent at several plexes (as quoted by trade analyst Taran Adarsh) in its opening weekend,it may lose in the box-office race in its next week of running. Explains trade analyst Amod Mehra,Well,ZNMD is a very youth-centric film. It has the mood of Dil Chahta Hai and this is what is attracting the audience at the multiplexes,but this film is not meant for the single screens. Films like Ready or Dabangg had a strong hold because of their rural appeal but ZNMD only caters to the urban cult. However even if the film does not hold up the b-o,it will not suffer heavy losses like Guzaarish or Kites,confirms Mehra.

On the contrary,according to Punjabi,ZNMD had as much as a 100 per cent occupancy at a couple of locations. Even in the single-screens of Andheri and Bandra in Mumbai,the film received a capacity occupancy. He says,All shows right from 8.30 am to midnight showed a full occupancy.

Harry Potter,that released in a 3D and a non 3D format,has more of the 3D goers. The film,being the last of its series,is getting all the attention and is gathering huge crowds. And Potter as a grown-up now (and not a child as the previous versions) is attracting the young crowds to the cinema halls just like ZNMD.

Talking about the success of the film,Denzil Dias- Deputy Managing Director-Theatrical,Warner Bros. Pictures India says,Motion picture history was made this weekend. This is the biggest opening weekend ever for a Harry Potter film in India and the biggest opening ever for a WB film. But the actual box-office collections of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallow Part 2 were not available.

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While box-office collections clearly stated that the viewers were hardly affected by the bomb blasts and the torrential rains in Mumbai,trade analyst Taran Adarsh thinks that the collections would have been better if both had not happened.

With films like Delhi Belly,Murder 2,Harry Potter and ZNMD,it sure is a bonanza time at the theatres.