Abhay Deol's One By Two tanks

The last weekend could be termed quite forgetful for Bollywood in terms of money that was brought it. The only release last Friday, One By Two, just failed to move anything at the box office.

Abhay Deol’s first film as a producer not only received flack from the critics unanimously but also got a complete snub by the movie-goers. The film managed to collect less than Rs 2 cr in the opening weekend.

While it was not expected of One By Two to compete with Jai Ho, this response comes as a shocker for Abhay Deol loyalists. The actor is known to have commanded his own respectable fan following – especially in the metros. This also undermines how important it is to market a film. The film’s music being released less than a week before the film’s release clearly dealt a fatal blow to its chances. Readers may recall that Abhay Deol and T Series had a fallout in regard to come clauses that T Series makes the music directors and singers sign. Subsequently the music giants walked out of the film, leaving its promotions stalled at a time when it should have been at it heights.

In the meantime Abhay Deol’s loss is Salman Khan’s gain. In lack of any other competitor Jai Ho managed to scrap past the Rs 100 cr mark on its second week. Its second weekend collections stand at Rs 13.80 cr. Jai Ho might end up at less that Rs 120 cr making it Salman’s first unsuccessful film since Dabangg. Jai Ho’s overseas collections have moved to Rs 33.50 cr. But the film needs to go a long way before presenters Eros would break even on their investment. However, with Feb 7 set to see 4 new releases Jai Ho’s run could well come to an end, making it virtually impossible for Eros to break even.

2013 may have ended with a Dhoom, but 2014 seems to have had a rather dull first month. The lookout for the first hit continues. Remains to be seen if Dharma Production’s Hasee To Phasee, releasing this Friday, with a fresh casting of Parineeti Chopra and Siddharth Malhotra managed to deliver on that. Click the Movie button below for more info:
One By Two

Salman Khan Pictures