Since Eid-ul-Fitr the business cycle of the Pakistan box office has been going through a mixed phase. Eid releases brought some respite to the industry, proving that people are still willing to visit cinemas and give our local films a chance. There was a lot of cry for foul play with the release of Doctor Strange but the wholesome business that film managed helped the industry in making some good money. A string of new films have come out in the past few weeks which included local and foreign releases. It was heartening to see that cinemas have new releases, rather than films only coming out on Eid.
Local Releases
The first local release in the past few weeks was Peechay Toh Dekho. The Yasir Hussain starrer over 10 days of release had managed to collect Rs 40 lacs. The film, after registering a slow start over the first weekend managed to grow a bit in its second weekend, but the needed impact was missing. Despite being a comedy film, it could not generate the right word of mouth and failed at the box-office.
The second film to release was Rehbra. The Ahsan Khan-Ayesha Omar starrer finally released after facing many delays. The film, though liked by the people who saw it, was on the lower side of the box office. Over its first weekend, the film could only manage a meager 20 lacs. The film, in its complete run, might find it tough to touch the 1 crore mark. This will be a pretty poor performance for a film made on a good budget which is evident through the production quality. Ahsan and Ayesha are good stars with successful films (Chupan Chupai & Karachi Se Lahore) but sadly, this film did not connect with the audience.
The third film to release was Chaudhry. This one is a biopic of the famous police officer, Chaudhry Aslam Khan, but again the film failed to garner any response from the audiences as it only collected Rs 13 lac on the first weekend. The film has evidently been outrightly rejected.
We would say all these movie makers took the good step of releasing their films on a non-Eid period but the content may have let them down. They got good shows, but failed to generate the needed response.
Last local film to be talked about is Kamli. The film came out under a lot of hype, starring Saba Qamar and directed by ace film-maker Sarmad Khoosat. Kamli was targeting a niche audience and it thankfully managed to impress them, hence crossing the 5-crore mark at the box-office.
There is a lot of debate regarding whether this recovery is good or not, as the distributors seem to be unhappy with the performance. There is no clarity on the budget yet, so we cannot say much about the final verdict. One good thing is that the film got good shows and good legs among its target audience which led to it sustaining well. Post-COVID, this performance is a heartening sign for the industry that there is potential for well-made films.
Box Office: Foreign Releases
Post-COVID, a lot of animated films have failed to create the desired impact at the box-office. The swing towards OTT channels has led to parents making their children watch their favorite movies at home. Last Friday Minions: The Rise of Gru released in Pakistan, amassing a total of 78 lacs (22 lac + 26 lac + 30 lac) over the first weekend. This is a really good number considering the wave of animated films not doing great at the local box-office. The Sunday numbers being higher than Saturday numbers is a rarity in Pakistan, but Minions managed that too. With Eid holidays coming, this film seems like it will enjoy a long run and keep amusing kids.
The other big release Jurassic World Dominion, continued to stomp its way through at the local box office. The film collected a total of 75 lacs in its 4th weekend taking the total collections to a massive 13 crore 35 lac. These numbers are bigger than Jurassic World (2015) but lesser then Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) as that was an Eid-ul-Fitr release. The film got negative reviews but the big screen experience and family audience helped it sail through at the box office. This film is a clean hit and a good representation that people want to watch films which give them that big screen experience.
Last, but not the least, is Top Gun:Maverick, a film that has become a global phenomenon and re-established the fact that good content mixed with a big star can result in fireworks. The film collected a massive 72 lacs taking its total collections to 15 crores 65 lacs. After registering a first week of 5 crores these numbers show the kind of amazing trend this film has seen. Currently, it seems like nothing can stop this Tom Cruise starrer as it continues to rise, now being one of the highest grossers for Pakistan cinema in 2022. An epic blockbuster this one has turned out to be.
Overall Analysis
The stage is now set for all Eid releases, as the box office awaits gigantic films. London Nahi Jaunga, Quaid E Azam Zindabad, Lafangey (stuck with censors) and Thor: Love & Thunder are all tentpole films. In all fairness, it is a three-way clash but with the right show division, one knows that the industry will be having a few great weeks. We hope all films show great valor at the box office and happy days come back for the industry.
