Ek Thi Daayan doesn’t cast a spell on viewers

Ek Thi Daayan (ETD), Ekta Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj’s collaboration, didn’t seem to do any magic at the box-office. Though the critics showered it with praises, the movie has failed to rake in numbers at the box-office.

Ek Thi Daayan (ETD), Ekta Kapoor and Vishal Bhardwaj’s collaboration, didn’t seem to do any magic at the box-office. Though the critics showered it with praises, the movie has failed to rake in numbers at the box-office.

With Emraan Hashmi in the lead, the film, made for roughly R23 crore, was expected to have a bigger opening. “Over the weekend, it made around R17 crore, which, considering the budget, wasn’t bad. But being an Emraan Hashmi film, it’s lower than what it ought to be. It should have crossed at least R20 crore,” says trade analyst Komal Nahta.

Trade expert Amod Mehra argues that the movie would’ve made better business had it opened in more single screens. “Horror films generally do well in the interiors in small centres, but ETD’s presentation made it look like an English film. The adventurous promotions killed the prospect of the movie too. And of course, the ongoing T20 tournament has affected all the films,” says Mehra.

Nahta guarantees the movie will fail. “While Ekta Kapoor and the distributors who have bought it for a reasonable price, will break even, the ones who have bought it at a high price will definitely be at a loss. How can it be a hit when distributors are losing money?” says Nahta.