Kurbaan could be Karan Johar's first flop

In the film industry, any film that does below 70% on opening day is considered a dud.

It is probably the first ever Karan Johar movie which failed to set the Box Office on fire. Kurbaan, which stars Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi in lead roles, barely managed 40 per cent occupancy on the day of its release, 20 November. 

In the film industry, any film that does below 70 per cent on the opening day is considered a dud. Trade experts expect the film to do 50 to 60 per cent business over the weekend, good reviews from film critics notwithstanding. 

“On Friday, we had 40 per cent occupancy. The weekend may pick up marginally but Monday onwards it will be a challenging week,” said Fun Cinemas Chief Operating Officer Vishal Kapur. Fun Cinemas runs around 74 screens across India. A source in Fame India added that the multiplex’s occupancy on release day was a dismal 25 per cent. 

Theatre chains said that the movie did better business in certain territories like Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore and Hyderabad with around 50 to 60 per cent occupancy. “The A (adult) certificate from the Censor Board has also limited the audiences," said PVR Chief Marketing Officer Gautam Dutta. “It is an intense film, and has therefore done well only in some pockets.” PVR runs over 100 screens all over the country. 

Kurbaan deals with the sensitive issue of world terrorism and the fight against it. Some critics have said that the plot resembles that of New York which came out a few months ago. 

The film was made with a budget of Rs 50 crore, and was released across 1,700 screens by UTV Motion Pictures. The paid previews of the film earned UTV Motion Pictures over Rs 1 crore from 500 shows, according to the company. 

Aside Kurbaan, Karan Johar has had an enviable record of delivering hit films. Some of the blockbusters from Dharma Productions have been Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Dostana and Wake Up Sid. These movies together have earned around Rs 500 crore worldwide. 

This year hasn’t been great for Bollywood with many big ticket flicks bombing at the Box Office. Kambaqht Ishq, Blue, What’s Your Rashee and London Dreams all failed to live up the hype, though the first three had a decent opening. The Salman Khan- and Ajay Devgan-starrer London Dreams too had a poor opening with around 40 per cent occupancy.