2019 has begun on a good note for the local cinema industry with Simmba, Aquaman, Bumblebee, 3 Bahadur, and Zero bringing in good moolah at the box-office. Cinemas, however, need movies every week to keep functioning smoothly.
Therefore, this Friday, i.e. 11th January, we have a total of six releases with two being the local.
See below to know more about these releases:
Gumm
Starring Sami Khan and Shamoon Abassi in the lead roles, Gumm is directed by the husband wife duo, Ammar Lasani and Kanza Zia.
The film has been played at various film festivals all over the world and has gathered a lot of appreciation too.
GL Says: Though touted as a commercial film, its trailer has not struck the right cord with the public. This is the reason why the film is carrying a considerably low hype and will be mainly dependent on the word of mouth in order to do well.
Instant Family
Instant Family is a ‘Foster Family’ comedy film starring Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, and Isabela Moner. Sean Andres has directed the film film whereas it released in U.S back in November.
Instant family did reasonably well for a medium budgeted film and remains one of the well-reviewed films since the time of its release.
GL Says: We believe this film will be for a specific market. Looking at the number of shows it has got, its market in Pakistan seems to be mostly the fans of Mark Wahlberg or Rose Byrne. Trailer of the film promises a good amount of fun, and should be a good watch for the multiplex audience.
K.G.F: Chapter 1
K.G.F is a Kannada language period drama action film and is the first installment in two-part series produced by Excel entertainment of Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Starring Yash (Naveen Kumar) and Archana Jois, the film is directed by Parashanth Neel.
The film released in India on 21st of December but got delayed in Pakistan due to the continuous influx of releases throughout that period. K.G.F. has done extremely well at the box-office with its worldwide collections being around 201 crores approximately.
Although it officially releases in Pakistan tomorrow (January 11, 2019), the film is already having a limited release in the country today. A select number of cinemas are offering a handful number of shows as of now.
GL Says: In the recent past, dubbed films like Bahubali – The Conclusion and Robot 2.0 have done well in Pakistan. It would be interesting to see how far this one goes as it promises to be a good bet for the circuit audience.
Escape Room
Escape room is an psychological thriller about 6 Strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control. Starring Canadian actress Taylor Russel and Deborah Ann Woll of True Blood and The Punisher fame, 6 Strangers is directed by Adam Robitel.
The film released in U.S market a week back and surprising the trade, has done quite well over its first weekend.
GL Says: This film will be a good watch for the fans of horror genre, who will be enjoying it mostly in multiplexes. Escape Room, however, has seen very less marketing which may end up hampering its chances, but we believe that the good word of mouth might actually salvage it.
Jackpot
Starring Noor Hassan, Sanam Chaudhry, and Javed Sheikh, Jackpot is directed by Shoaib Khan.
It’s a unique release this week as the film originally released back in 2018 on the 6th of July. The producers, however, felt that the film was not given the right amount of shows the last time and are now trying their luck for the second time by releasing it this week.
GL Says: If shows were the issues last time, we are afraid things don’t seem much promising this time either. The film hasn’t got many shows as of now, and the marketing hasn’t been any extra ordinary either. Therefore, the Javed Sheikh starrer looks a little weak on paper as of now, but we are hopeful that it will be able to surprise one and all with better results.
Do Dooni Panj
Do Dooni Panj is Punjabi language film which tackles the issues of unemployment among educated youngsters, but in a humorous way. It stars Karamjit Anmol and Amrit Maan and is directed by Harry Bhatti.
GL Says: Films from Indian Punjab have recently started releasing in Pakistan more and more. This one too will expectantly strike a chord with the audience here as Carry on Jatta 2 did quite well in Pakistan when it released back in June 2018.
Moreover, since the film also boasts of a song by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, it will also find its audience in many Rahat fans. Do Dooni Panj will find itself most at home in Punjab circuit.
We wish best of luck to all releases this week, see you at the movies.
