Hindi
Judwa remake has an advantage over Chef
*Wrong time release and the film pays heavily. Much beyond its demerits. Pre-Diwali is the dullest period to release a new film but, even the best of production houses with years of standing still go ahead and do it.
T Series released Chef in this dull period and, when asked, the explanation was that the weeks ahead were crowded with multiple releases! This explanation showed a total lack of confidence in your own product where you have invested somewhere around Rs 250 million plus!
So, was it the wise thing to do to release the film when nobody cares for visiting cinema houses and be done with it? Commit a financial suicide? Sure, Judwaa2 released during this dull period but the film had an advantage of a long four day weekend with two additional national holidays! That was an exception, not an example.
Also, Judwaa 2 featured a rising star in Varun Dhawan and had the advantage of being the remake of the `1997 Salman Khan hit, Judwaa, with the common director, David Dhawan.
So the week delivers a decent film in Chef, what can be called a family fare for the weekend. The film had nothing besides the fading star Saif Ali Khan on the cast, lacked totally in promotion or creating awareness of any kind about it and paid the price. It faced rejection on day one failing to reach even a crore mark. Equally bad on day two though there was a little improvement but, how do you expect a film to pick up when there is no promotion and, hence, no awareness about it? The film will end its opening weekend with Rs 35 million.
The scene was so bad, the exhibitors cancelled the shows of Chef and gave them to Judwaa2 on day one of release!
*Another watchable film which went unnoticed last Friday was Tu Hi Mera Sunday. A pleasant film was not worth watching at multiplex admission rates. Somewhere, the exhibition trade is killing the same business they expect to earn monies from!
The film went totally unnoticed.
*The other release of the week, Tu Hi Mera Sunday and 2016: The End, won’t even leave a trace.
*Judwaa2, though released during a dull period had so much going for it. It was the remake of a successful franchise, starred an upcoming star and was backed by a four day weekend. It collected by leaps and bounds and, then, continued to do well even in its second week in the face of poor new releases.
The film ended its first week with as much as Rs 961 million and even continued to do fairly well during its second weekend. Having added about another Rs 170 million in its second weekend the film has collected Rs 1.13 billion for 10 days.
*Newton has added Rs 57 million in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 169.5 million.
Hindi
UFO Cine Media Network unveils ‘India’s biggest cinema moment ever’
Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic tipped to deliver rare pan-India scale for brands
MUMBAI: UFO Cine Media Network is pitching an upcoming dual-film release weekend as what it calls the largest advertising opportunity cinema has offered in India, banking on an estimated 100 million cumulative footfalls nationwide.
The initiative, branded “India’s Biggest Cinema Moment Ever”, is anchored around the simultaneous release of Dhurandhar 2 – The Revenge and Toxic, two high-profile action films expected to dominate screens across regions and languages. Trade projections, supported by cinema measurement tool Procat, suggest the combined lifetime theatrical run could deliver one of the widest audience concentrations seen in recent years.
Dhurandhar 2 – The Revenge, an India–Pakistan spy thriller, is set to release in five languages, broadening its appeal across northern and southern markets. The franchise has already built a sizable multilingual following through theatrical runs and streaming platforms. Toxic, fronted by pan-India star Yash, is expected to draw heavy footfalls across southern circuits and beyond, buoyed by the actor’s proven box-office pull.
UFO, which operates an in-cinema advertising network spanning more than 4,100 theatres, is positioning the release window as a rare moment of synchronised national attention. Its footprint covers multiplexes and single screens across over 1,500 towns and cities, allowing advertisers to deploy campaigns at scale during a single weekend.
Executives at the company argue that cinema’s value lies not just in reach but in attention. Unlike digital or television, audiences are captive, emotionally engaged and free from distraction, they say, translating into stronger recall and measurable returns for brands. With advertisers increasingly focused on performance-led media planning, UFO is framing the dual release as comparable in scale to India’s largest broadcast and sporting properties.
Industry observers note that as theatrical exhibition expands deeper into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, such tentpole weekends are becoming anchor moments for annual media strategies. If Dhurandhar 2 – The Revenge and Toxic deliver as expected, the weekend could set new benchmarks not only for box office numbers, but also for cinema’s evolving role as a high-attention advertising medium.
