Trade espresso: When romance fizzles

Not much was expected from the much-delayed Mehbooba directed by Afzal Khan that opened to low collections. Vajir Singh reports collections of this week's films at the box-office.

Not much was expected from the much-delayed Mehbooba directed by Afzal Khan. The antiquated romance opened to very low collections: 20 to 30 per cent at the single screens and even lower at multiplexes.

The scene at the single screens in the Hindi belt (northern region) were only marginally better. Clearly, a dud. Superhero clicks Will Smith's Hancock opened with an upbeat response on its first day at the multiplexes. Its dubbed version at the single screens was a no-no.

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Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na registered nearly 90 per cent collections at most of multiplexes in its first week; its second week tick et sales were excellent. Some multiplexes have even increased the number of shows in its second-week run, a rare phenomenon.

From the look of things, Jaane Tu.. is on its way .. to become the biggest hit of the year, so far. The collections at the singleplexes are also heartening.

There was no improvement in the fortunes of Love Story 2050. It opened with discouraging ticket sales. Since the word-of-mouth buzz wasn't positive, it'll go down in memory as India's unsuccessful bid at a scifi adventure.

It goes without saying that its number of shows has been reduced drastically .