Hindi
Cinema audience tracking tool debuts
MUMBAI: Film distribution and exhibition is a science and an art. Indian cinema distributors, exhibitors and producers now have a tool to help them finetune this further, courtesy media research and consulting firm Ormax Media.
Called Cinematix, the tool allows those involved in a film‘s release to gauge audience awareness and interest levels in watching it. And it is currently being tested in the three cities of Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmedabad.
In its expansion plans, the tool will be introduced in cities like Lucknow, Kolkata and Hyderabad in the next three months.
Basically, six weeks before a film is released or the week when the promos go on air, Ormax executives call audiences to generate feedback, points out Ormax Media co-founder & CEO Shailesh Kapoor.
Every Monday, subscribers (producers, distributors, advertisers) of Cinematix then get a detailed report with age, gender, city and sector-wise analysis, for all the films releasing in the corresponding period.
“By this, they will come to know whether a film has been marketed well or needs to further finetune their marketing, media planning and promotion strategies,” points out Kapoor.
Kapoor says that Hollywood studios as a norm track the variables of pre-release awareness and intention to watch amongst audiences. “Once we have a body of data in place over a few weeks, Cinematix will allow producers to predict their opening weekend collections as well,” he adds.
All this would involve a lot of money. Where will Omax Media recover the money from? “We have two kinds of packages for producers or production houses. One is an annual charge, where we do the tracking of all their films releasing during the year while the second is on a film basis,” Kapoor observes.
Cinematix has been put into operation from last week when YRF‘s Badmaash Company was released. Side-by-side tracking of Rakesh Roshan‘s Kites was also being done. “By Monday, we got the information that Kites was the front runner in terms of popularity followed by Badmaash Company,” reveals Kapoor.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
