Trade Espresso: Box office lull continues

The verdict on last week's Black and White is out. It has been declared a below-average earner. Vajir Singh tells more.

It has been one of the quietest weeks in years. No movie of any consequence showed up, in a bid perhaps to avoid the school and college examination period - which keeps a large part of the youth segment away from the movies.

There was no hype around 26th July at Barista. Its poor initial collections didn't surprise anyone, including the cinema halls' ushers. An absence of pulicity and marketing guara teed its disastrous show at the cash counters.

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Although made on a peanut budget, the film was a wash-out , like its theme harking back to the monsoon devastation in Mumbai.

Moreover, the film could open only in Mumbai, Rajasthan and some parts of Madhya Pradesh.

The verdict on last week's Black and White is out. It has been declared a below-average earner. Despite favourable reviews, it didn't attract ticket buyers. Saving grace: its relatively low budget for a Mukta Arts production..

Tax exemption
Surprisingly, the audience turnout at multiplexes were nothing to rave about. Now, the film has been tax-exempted in Maharashtra and Delhi. which may help in boosting its collections to a degree.

There were as many as five international releases. The dubbed version of 10,000 BC raked up good business, especialy in small towns. The original English language version didn't arouse much interest though.