People are discussing Chennai Express more than the soaring onion prices

“Though I was thinking of going for The Conjuring,she suggested Chennai Express because it has crossed Rs 100 crore in record time,” she says.

Not only the siblings,even their friends are talking about film collections.

“When you are in a group,majority vouch for a film that’s running to packed houses,” she adds.

Samreeta is no exception. Everybody is a trade pundit nowadays and everybody is number crunching.

The question these days is not picture kaisi hai rather it is picture kitna banayegi?

Filmy jargon such as “opening weekend”,”highest grosser”,”crucial Monday test” and “fastest century” is now part of dinner table conversations.

Thanks to the social media boom with Facebook and Twitter,the film-watching public has a platform to voice their opinions.

Result is hundreds of retweets and “likes” and so on,about film reviews and collections.

“This number obsession is essentially the result of successful film marketing. From the trade talk,it has moved into the domain of consumer conversation,making it a far broader idea. When films promote Rs 100 crore or any other number,it’s basically communicating success in public consciousness to attract attention,” says Ajit Andhare,COO,Viacom18 Motion Pictures.

The growing obsession with numbers is part of a bigger social phenomenon. There was a time when gossip about stars’ lives dominated the public consciousness. But with the explosion of content on TV and social media,stars have descended from their ivory towers and forayed onto television and Twitter. There is no possibility of a Greta Garbo happening.

So when everything is out in the open,there is a void of topics to talk about.

As a nation,we are obsessed with films,and that is why weekend collections and the Rs 100 crore mark have taken over as a topic of great interest,to discuss,to post and tweet. Promotional blitzkrieg before releases has added to the tsunami.

“It’s like cricket. Which cricketer has scored how much and consequently who wins only matters. When we were in Dubai promoting Raaz 3,our chauffeur told Emraan (Hashmi) that the opening would be nothing less than Rs 10 crore. He was from Pakistan. Everybody is aware of box-office numbers. The market is going to have the last say,” says Mahesh Bhatt,producer.

There are obvious conclusions and questions to derive from this number talk. Does it really increase footfall?

“I don’t think so. It might be fashionable to talk about it because it’s exciting and the ‘in thing’. May be very marginal,but it doesn’t help. At the end of it,when you are spending money,you care about real word of mouth,” adds Komal Nahta,trade analyst.

Manoj Desai,Executive Director,Gaiety-Galaxy multiplex in Mumbai,echoes the same sentiment. “People who talk about collections do it primarily because it’s the latest thing. It doesn’t necessarily pull in extra audience. Its always the content that people care about,to spend money and have a good time,” he says.

So why is there an increasing tendency among filmmakers to publicise big numbers?

“It’s all a race to attract investments. It’s like showing the content quantitatively. It’s generally good for the business to be spoken about on social networks such as Twitter,where there are so many opinion makers who people believe in. It’s healthy for the market,” says Timmy Kandhari,MD,Sapphire Professional Services.

The studios,in general,are happy with the buzz of numbers in the air. In the crowd of multiple releases,nothing smells like success.

Shikha Kapur,Executive Director,Marketing,Studios,Disney UTV,says,”Content is what drives public to the cinema. The numbers are nothing but indicators of good content and entertainment. The availability of numbers in a public forum further helps audiences to make a choice in a movie-clutterred market.”

Hollywood director Martin Scorsese in a recent essay wrote — “There was a time when the average person wasn’t even aware of box-office grosses. But since the ’80s,it’s become a kind of sport — and really,a form of judgment.”

But will this number mania affect the quality of Hindi cinema? “The quest for finer attributes in filmmaking is undeniably important. But when as an audience,you endorse only a certain kind of cinema,you create a kind of schizophrenia,” says Bhatt.

Meanwhile,the stars are feeling the pressure of playing the number game. In a recent interview to a TV channel Akshay Kumar admitted,”Yeh jo media ka 100 crore ka sawaal hai yeh hum sab pe bojh ban gaya hai. It’s like asking ki haan bhai Rs 100 crore kab dega tu?”