Box office: Dullest January ever

Trade analysts say that now all eyes are on this week's release Agneepath as none of the movies this month have received a positive response

Of the four film that released last Friday, not one has managed to leave a mark at the box office.

While Sudhish Kamath's Good Night Good Morning, Clint Eastwood's J Edgar with Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnson Thomas's Coriolanus fetched raving reviews, and Kate Beckinsale's Underworld: Awakening took the franchise another step further, trade analysts are now pegging this January as the worst in quite a few years.

Veteran trade analyst Amod Mehra points out that otherwise we've had some or the other film working in January. "But this time nothing has worked so far. After a bumper 2011, when four films crossed R 100 crore net, 2012 has begun on a bad note.

While Players has been a major disappointment, smaller films like Chaalis Chaurasi couldn't even cover the cost of their print and advertising.

Even an English film like Underworld: Awakening has bombed, " he shrugs, adding that all eyes are now on Agneepath which releases on January 26. "Going by the pre-release response, it looks to net R 100 crore in the first week itself, " he enthuses.

A programming head of a national multiplex chain calls this week "a complete washout." Pegging the opening of Good Night Good Morning, which was only released in PVR at an average of 15-20 per cent occupancy in the first three days, on condition of anonymity, he says, "It was not a movie for the masses.

Besides, they didn't have a marketing budget. How do you expect the audience out there to know that this movie is releasing?"

Oblivious to why an otherwise comparatively safer film like Underworld: Awakening failed, our friendly programming head says, "It's also beyond me imagining why J Edgar had a limited release, in a few multiplexes in Mumbai, Delhi and other cities.



Considering it's directed by Clint Eastwood and features Leo DiCaprio in the title role, one expected it to have a wider release. Even if the film picks up, widening its release in the second week looks difficult with three more coming up on Friday Descendants, Contraband and Haywire."