The Khans might brawl at the B-O over highest first day collections, but Akshay Kumar gets the highest collections every year because he has at least three releases per year
Harshada Rege (DNA; August 22, 2014)


Actors and filmmakers fluff up the figures of their films by few crores to make it to the highest opening category. While the competition is largely between the three Khans — Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir — one cannot ignore Akshay Kumar. The Khans have one movie a year, so their fans throng to the theatres in bulk to see them. But Akshay’s collections get divided because of his multiple releases. Getting the audiences to the theatres three times in a year is not an easy feat. Says producer Ramesh Taurani, “If an actor has four releases, it may make a bit of difference on the collections of the first day, but if you look at the yearly total, it does prove profitable for the producers. Though I did expect Entertainment to do more business, I am extremely happy with the way it has been received at the box-office.”

Trade speak
Vikas Mohan, editor of the trade magazine Super Cinema adds, “Akshay does a minimum of three movies a year on an average. By that account, he is one actor whose movies people watch the most in a year. Call this professionalism, passion to do movies or time management, they are factors which set him apart from his contemporaries. Obviously, other actors have the novelty factor working for them because they see them in one movie a year, and so they go in big numbers. Akshay opens at an average in the range of  Rs10-15 crore while the rest of the actors are at an average of  Rs 25-30 crore. So by that account itself, Akshay does decently when compared to the others. This is also the reason he is able to charge the high fees which makers happily pay because they know, at the end of the day even his bad movie ends up with some sort of a profit. Aamir has been the most profitable to the makers and the distributors in recent years given those movies’ high return on investment.”

The current trend
Earlier, all actors used to work on several movies a year. Aamir bucked the trend by concentrating on one movie per year. And soon his peers followed his lead. And today not just the established stars, but even the newcomers prefer to concentrate on one movie at a time. It is the Hollywood model. When it comes to established stars, many of them also part-produce their movies hence they want to be involved in the post-production of their project before starting a new project.

Wait for the holiday!
Releasing a movie on a holiday weekend is a huge bonus. With the smashing figures of Singham Returns, the fight for holiday weekend is going to get uglier. Salman Khan’s Kick released on Friday but it saw a huge jump again on Tuesday, on Eid day. If there’s a public holiday on the release day then the movie enjoys an uninterrupted weekend for three days instead of two before it has to face the Monday slump.

It’s about the look, too
Today, most actors opt for looks that are specific for that particular movie, it then becomes impossible for them to act in two projects at the same time. Filmmakers even want their actors to retain the look for the film’s promotions, making it difficult for an actor to shoot multiple films together. Actors are also made to sign contracts which make it mandatory for them to keep aside at least 40 days to promote a film.

Why the first day matters
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “The first day collections have become extremely important because it is a direct reflection of a star’s power. Your standing at the BO is decided by the number that you make on the first day as it shows how much crowd can you pull in at this early stage. In the ’70s and ’80s, either the star would claim to be a king, or a prince or the media would give them these titles, but now that’s changed. Your title depends on the numbers at the BO. As for the Rs 100-crore club, considering the amount of the screens and the ticket rates, Rs 200 crore will be the new Rs 100 crore. It has become important for a movie to make that much money as it has become a benchmark. But a movie doesn’t become a hit only by making that much money. If a movie made at Rs 120 crore makes Rs 110 crore, it’s a flop. It’s all about the pricing. Rs 100 crore is big deal for a movie like Ek Villain, which has been made at a considerable lesser cost. Also, a movie like Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, which made Rs 75 crore is a super hit just like 2 States, because of its pricing.”