DRY WEEK FOR HINDI FILMS; GLADIATOR II MIGHT SURPRISE
The Diwali release – Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3– have done maximum business and now all eyes are on the mid-sized releases this month. The biggest release of the week is Kanguva, which is released today, Thursday, November 14. It is a Tamil film which has been widely released in its dubbed Hindi version. It stars Suriya, Bobby Deol and Disha Pataniand looks like a grand flick.
However, Kanguva’s excitement is limited. The film is expected to open at around Rs. 2.25-3 crores in Hindi. The word of mouth seems mixed and hence, it’s difficult to say if it’ll have a long run at the box office. The first-day collections in the original Tamil language are decent.
The other Hindi release is The Sabarmati Report. It stars Vikrant Massey, Ridhi Dogra and Raashii Khanna and is based on the 2002 Godhra riots. The film went on floors in January 2024 and the initial plan was to release on May 3. The plan failed to materialize and also the Central Board of Film Certification had some objections. Later, the film was reshot and the original director Ranjan Chandelleft the project.
The awareness is there for The Sabarmati Report but the excitement is limited. Vikrant’s recent controversial interviews have grabbed eyeballs but it remains to be seen if it translates into healthy ticket sales.
Lastly, Gladiator II will see an early release tomorrow in India, a week before the release in North America. It is the sequel to the 2000 classic movie which has a strong recall value even today. The early reviews are positive and even in India, the advance booking has been better than expected. Hence, it’s a film that can surprise this weekend.
