Hindi
Barring ‘Sultan’, dull weekend at box office
MUMBAI: While the recent films since the release of Sultan have been bad for the trade, especially the exhibition trade which needs a flow of crowd pulling films to sustain, the next week promises to be full of hope. Two major films releasing simultaneously has been avoided by the trade as both would eat into each other’s business prospects. But, the exhibitors never had it so good as Mohenjo Daro and Rustom face each other this Friday.
Budhia Singh-Born To Run, a National Award winner for the Best Children’s film, wins much critical acclaim, but no footfalls. The film could manage only Rs. 1.2 crore in its first weekend.
Fever, an attempt to make a polished thriller, turns out anything but that. It is a badly scripted film concentrating more on steamy scenes rather than thrill and suspense. A good musical score as well as captivating cinematography are wasted in absence of substance. The film collected Rs. 55 lakh in its opening weekend.
The Legend Of Michael Mishra meets with a disastrous fate at the box office. To think of Arsad Warsi essaying a teenage romance in itself is a put off and to expect the film to draw audience is rather ambitious! There is nothing in the script or direction or music to salvage the film to any extent. The collections have been poor as the film could collect only Rs. 60 lakh in its first weekend.
Dishoom, an action thriller with a youth favourite. Varun Dhawan, providing the entertainment quotient, does well. The film had its flows and routine second half but managed to make the most of the absence of any decent entertainer for a while.
The film collects 51.8 crore in its first week. With poor opposition in its second week, the film stands a fair chance of adding another Rs. 16 to 17 crore in its second week for a decent lifetime business.
Love Ke Funday and Murder Madhuri make it to the total loss category.
Madaari…Sshhh Desh So Raha Hai collects Rs. 2.75 crore in its second week to take its two week tally to Rs. 15.45 crore.
Kabaali (Hindi-dubbed from Tamil) drops drastically in its second week taking its two week total to Rs. 24.9 crore.
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.
