Housefull lives up to its title

Sajid Khan had declared that with Housefull, the ‘Housefull’ boards will be back in theatres. And that’s exactly what the Akshay Kumar-Riteish Deshmukh-Arjun Rampal-Lara Dutta-Deepika Padukone-Jiah Khan film has done in single theatres and a few multiplexes across India. Geerish Wankhede, spokesperson, Cinemax said, “We have had maximum shows for any film so far on a single day, 29 to be precise and the shows have had 75 per cent occupancy, which is good.” The film has turned out be the first big hit of 2010 netting over Rs 25 crore over the first weekend, as per trade reports. According to Eros International, which has co-produced the close-to-Rs 50 crore film with Sajid Nadiadwala, it has grossed Rs 48 crore in India and Rs 16 crore overseas taking the total to Rs 64 crore.
When contacted, Khan said he was not surprised with the film’s turnout. “I am happy that I got to make the kind of film I wanted. Audiences are also very happy. There are certain critics who haven’t liked the film but it was not made for them.”

The first big film to be released post IPL, Housefull flooded the screens with maximum prints, i.e 525 and was released in more than 650 digital screens in India. Overseas, the film was released with 260 prints. Says Vinod Mirani, trade analyst and Editor, Box-Office, “It has done excellent business considering that so many prints were released. At some single theatres there was even black-marketing.” Avers Manoj Desai of G7, “We’ve had 100 per cent occupancy in Gaiety and Galaxy over the weekend and have had to display the housefull board.” The last film to have created this kind of frenzy was Aamir Khan film 3 Idiots, informs Desai.

However, Harsha Gangurde of Inox points out that 3 Idiots was in a league of its own. “It had one additional show as it had hit the theatres on Thursday night,” says Gangurde and instead compares Housefull’s opening to Golmaal Returns, reaffirming that the former has had the biggest opening so far this year and “is in a position of its own”. In Big Cinemas, the occupancy has been 52 per cent and it has collected Rs 4.5 crore over the weekend. PVR Cinemas have had a occupancy of 90 per cent and grossed Rs 4 crore. Even the Monday morning shows were housefull in northern India, though the same cannot be said of Mumbai, according to Prakhar Joshi of PVR.

As to whether the euphoria will spill over to the week, there are mixed reports. “There is no question of the film sustaining its weekend business. It can’t, simply because it released in almost all the theatres - wherever there was a empty theatre and they wanted a film, Housefull was released as there was no other film.” Yet another leading exhibitor attributes the bumper opening to the combination of a long lull of films before Housefull and the weekend holidays. Joshi, on the other hand, is hopeful of its continued business as, “The reactions to the film have been fairly good.” The film, though, has reportedly registered a drop from Monday.