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Warner triumphs at the box office
MUMBAI: 2005 may have been slightly disappointing for Hollywood financially with the film box office down five per cent but Warner has plenty to smile about.
Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that it placed first both in the US and abroad in terms of box office takings. It made over $1 billion in the US and had its best year ever. Three films — Batman Begins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire — grossed more than $200 million in the US.
Abroad Warner nearly touched $2 billion which meant that it crossed the billion dollar mark for the fifth year in a row, and making Warner Bros. Pictures International the number one for four of the last five years. Overseas releases resulted in six pictures earning more than $100 million at the box office- Ocean’s 12, Constantine, Batman Begins, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, The Island and Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire.
Waber Bros. president domestic distribution Dan Fellman says, “This was a challenging year, with a very crowded marketplace, but we feel that we were able to give audiences something special to bring them into theaters over and over again. This is our fifth consecutive year grossing more than a billion dollars, which is an industry record and an acknowledgement of the terrific work of everyone at Warner Bros. Pictures, as well as our partners in exhibition.”
This is not to say that Warner did not have films that failed. While North Country generated excellent reviews and should fetch Charlize Theron a Best Actress Oscar nomination the film failed to cross the $20 million mark at the box office. This year Warner is counting on Superman Returns to bring in the moolah. It will also release M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water and Martin Scorcese’s The Deaprted..
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
