MUMBAI: Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai, directed by Milan Luthria that stars Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Prachi Desai, has taken a good opening at the box office.
The gangster flick that depicts the crime scenario in Mumbai during the 70s and 80s has not only got good reviews but has also been liked by all those who’ve seen the film. The film opened to about 75 – 80 per cent occupancy.
The advance bookings of the film too are doing well and according to the multiplexes the weekend looks very good.
The other release, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, based on the novel by the same name by Stephenie Meyer, which stars Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart, too has got a decent opening with around 40 – 50 per cent occupancy. However, the movie is expected to do better by the late night shows and should pick up well over the weekend.
Speaking to Businessofcinema.com, Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur said, “Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai opened well and the weekend should see about 80 – 90 per cent occupancy. the advance bookings have been good.”
BIG Cinemas (West and South) COO Ashish Saksena added, “Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai has opened well as expected and we are hoping it will have a good run. The occupancy towards the evening and late night shows should go up to 70 per cent plus. Eclipse, on the other hand, has had a decent opening, but we were expecting it to do better. It will pick up over the weekend.”
Cinemax India president – sales, marketing and operations Devang Sampat said, “The opening of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai was excellent, it opened at around 80 per cent and is still growing. In places like Gujarat and Nasik, the occupancy was 100 per cent. I would say it’s the biggest film after Raajneeti and Housefull. Eclipse’s opening was not that good but it’s picking up. The weekend on the whole looks good.”
An official spokesperson from Fame Cinemas tells Businessofcinema.com, “The occupancy of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai has been around 80 per cent, which is a very good opening. Eclipse should go up to approximately 65 – 70 per cent towards the evening and night shows. It’s more of a teenage flick so it’s quite popular with the young college going crowd. The weekend does look good.”
Inox Leisure associate vice president Rajender Singh Jyala said, “Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai opened very well, with some of the morning shows even running full. Eclipse will definitely do well in the cities.”
