Tollywood, Telugu Entertainment Mobile Blog

CHIRUTHA is celebrating 50 Days supposedly in 168 DIRECT CENTERS. Just look at the picture below and decide yourself the REAL STATUS of the movie and its supposed collections of Rs. 25.49 Crores in 50 days.

YES. Pictures do really speak a thousand words. If the above scenario is the condition of the 50 DAYS CELEBRATIONS IN MAIN THEATER SANDHYA 70mm in HYDERABAD, then imagine the plight of the other CLAIMED 168 DIRECT CENTERS. But always remember that this is not something exclusive to CHIRUTHA… Another FLOP ATHIDHI is currently facing the same situation. Even the HIT YAMADONGA is facing the same situation as soon as it crossed 50 days mark.

SO MY DEAR TELUGU AUDIENCE & FANS , when I say that Chirutha, Athidhi or Yamadonga are claiming fake records, I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s sentiment. It is just that I am making a sincere effort to make the audience realize that 50, 100, 150, 175 DAYS RECORDS ARE EXTINCT in Cinema worldwide. There are no such PHONY celebrations in Hollywood or even in Bollywood. If Hollywood is the world leader, Bollywood is India’s leader both Box-Office & Content wise. There is nothing wrong to learn something from others. I hope we will have more REAL HITS.

Audience’s IGNORANCE is Exploitative Film-Maker’s STRENGTH. Prove to them that Telugu Movie Goers are not “BAVILO KAPPALU.”

SEEMA SASTRY is a very crudely made PARODY of SEEMA movies. So, is it all that bad? Hmmm… I have no problem with ridiculing the caste system, no problem with parodies, no problem with vulgarity if demanded… but I have a serious problem with crudely made movies. Ohhh, many of you must be thinking… cut this bullshit and just spill the beans. Well, read on…

IN A NUTSHELL

HIT

SEEMA SASTRY will open to a 60+% OCCUPANCY RATES overall. It will never get over 80%… and I mean ever. But will not fall to 30% either… The movie will give enough laughs to enough people (There are always exceptions) to sustain with an average of 30%-50% for 50 days. And if it does manage to do that… then it would have made enough GROSS collections to give at least 50% NETT PROFITS. In the end, the movie would be a decent enough HIT making it a 2nd SUCCESSFUL FILM of ALLARI NARESH this year after the success of ATTILI SATTIBABU LKG in the first half of the year.

I AM really GLAD to inform you all that I have been PARTLY WRONG and PARTLY CORRECT in THULASIs Box-Office Prediction. Very obviously, I am Glad for being PARTLY CORRECT. But also GLAD that I am PARTLY WRONG. The reason being that at least A center Telugu film audiences are showing signs of maturity and rejecting even the STAR movies. The recent examples are CHIRUTHA, ATHIDHI and THULASI. Coming to the Thulasi, it is one of the weakest movies of Venkatesh. I reviewed it so badly that it was in stark contrast with my Box-Office Prediction. But still, I was expecting a Blockbuster. So, did it really make it? The answer is NOOO. But it is a HIT anyway. THULASI is doing AVERAGE business in A centers, ABOVE AVERAGE business in B centers and BLOCKBUSTER business in C centers. So, overall THULASI is a HIT. But many of the A center audiences would perceive it as just an AVERAGE film.

Let me give you an example of an obscure film that many of you might not even remember. It is PUTTINTIKIRA CHELLI of ARJUN. It was one of the biggest hits of the year it got released but none from the A centers even knew about it. Like I always said, every film is not and need not be made for everybody. The same thing can be said about THULASI. But the profit percentages will be lower for THULASI as it had been acquired at a steep price by the buyers when compared to PUTTINTIKIRA CHELLI.

THULASI did really FLOP business in the Overseas. But no one really expected for it to do well in the overseas circuit. I really wonder as to why do these Distributors buy the rights of most of the films with out using some common sense. Anyway, Distributors in USA invested Rs. 1 + 0.12 Crores for it and until now the movie collected only Rs. 0.6 Crores. So, very obviously it won’t make it to the safety zone.

As far as the Andhra pradesh is concerned, as I said earlier, it is doing SAFE and sound business overall. No one is going to suffer loss in A.P. And what really made me ecstatic about is the fact that THULASI team did really reveal the true figures in their success meet (KUDOS TO THEM!!!). THULASI did really GROSSED 12 Crores in 12 days. Those figures are indeed a PERSONAL RECORD for Venkatesh’s movies. But they look paltry in comparison to the CHIRUTHAs and ATHIDHIs FAKE figures. And Thulasi is doing roaring business in some districts such as GUNTUR. Suresh Film Distributors released the figures for GUNTUR as Rs. 1,13,40,276/- in only 20 DAYS in only 15 CENTERS. These figures have been cross checked by my sources and they seem to be true.

So, overall THULASI is a success.

UPDATE: 22/11/2007
THULASI has crossed Rs. 22 Crores mark and is on its way to end up around Rs. 25-26 Crores in its entire run.

ATHIDHI has been nagging the Telugu movie buffs since 3 Weeks. So, where does it stand now? Is it a BLOCKBUSTER or HIT or FLOP or DISASTER? What really happened to ATHIDHI that arrived and gave many of us an overbearing HEADACHE? Have the audiences took a decision? The answer is YES. The audiences have shown the door to this ATHIDHI. ATHIDHI is not a DISASTER like ARJUN or SAINIKUDU. ATHIDHI is just a FLOP. Then, why is it not a disaster and just remained a FLOP? The answer is the EVER CHARMING, COOL, SUBTLE AND YET POWERFUL, HANDSOME DUDE… also known as MAHESH BABU. His electrifying persona alone made ATHIDHI a SAFE venture for the PRODUCERS. But the DISTRIBUTORS and most of the EXHIBITORS couldn’t cash in on MAHESH BABUs AURA.

I know that many of you might question me about the FIRST WEEK RECORDS and also the subsequent records that are being OVER PUBLICIZED. I will ATTEMPT to answer at least some of your doubts…

JUST A FEW OF THE MEDIA COMMENTS

ONIONDOSA REVIEW:
PUBLIC TALK: Not bad,watchable for Mahesh babu.
INDUSTRY TALK: Divide talk vachindhi.Openings baguntayi..long run kashtam.
TELUGUCINEMA:
Mahesh Babu’s debonair looks, stylish presentation and superior technical values make up the lack of entertainment and other lacunea. Despite its own share of flaws, on the whole, it is an average movie.
ANDHRA CAFE:
All style, no substance.
NOW RUNNING:
Athidhi will fade away from people’s memories and the theaters soon. That’s what happens to movies devoid of healthy imagination and without a personal touch.
ANDHRA CAFE:
Happy Days beats Athidhi.
BHARATWAVES:
A lot of talk is currently on over the film Athidhi. While a majority of the critics have given an AVERAGE verdict, the makers claim that the film is very good. The divided talk and also lot of negative publicity over too much violence, the collections have dropped to an extent. Coming to the collections, the producer claims that the collection in the first two weeks have exceeded even Pokiri. The trade reports suggest that the film might have made around 12 crores but Ramesh Babu claims that the film has collected over 21 crore. The truth is somewhere in between.
UPDATE: 10/11/2007
GREATANDHRA:
*** Adding to this, the other big Ad is about the collections of ‘Athidhi’. It is claimed that in 3 weeks the film collected Rs 36 Cr. But there are only 50 percent collections in many centers. So how far the figure is convincing? That is different story. So, Mahesh Babu is being projected as the hero who has got the potentiality to collect the hugest in Tollywood.
*** Athidhi is losing its grip on box office and it is suffering in big way at B, C centers. The buyers are now in bewilderment as the audiences are not coming to theaters in B, C centers.

Now that you have got a taste of other media’s views… I must caution you that my views would be as always HARSH, BLUNT, HONEST(IN MY VIEW AT LEAST!). So FANS might get hurt. Please don’t read any of my comments if you feel that I am ANTI-MAHESH. But do read if you feel that I try to honestly express my opinions on movies and stars. I am really fed up of the WEBSITES and PRINT MEDIA that perform VIRTUAL PALABHISHEKAMS and PADASEVA.

BUT REMEMBER THAT ALL THESE FINDINGS MAY BE INACCURATE BUT THE TREND PROJECTION CAN’T BE WRONG.

Anyway, my arguments are:

UPDATE: 09/11/2007
I have seen a lot of cut-outs claiming an array of FAKE records of ATHIDHI. For once, ATHIDHI has beaten CHIRUTHA. I am not talking about collections guys/gals… They both are disasters for the Exhibitors. But ATHIDHI has beaten CHIRUTHA when it comes to the FAKE RECORDS. Otherwise, just consider my latest findings…
ATHIDHI is out of at least 75% of the theaters in C centers.
ATHIDHI is out of at least 65% of the theaters in B centers.
ATHIDHI is currently LIMPING in 10 theaters in HYDERABAD as opposed to 39 at the peak. So calculate how many theaters have dumped ATHIDHI. Yeah, a whopping 75%. So I think you get the picture of A centers.
The records all over the media claim of MULTIPLEX collections. Just consider the fact that ATHIDHI is not even limping and is completely handicapped with just ONE SHOW in PRASADZ before the end of its 3rd week. In stark contrast, HAPPY DAYS is beaming smiles all over PRASADZ with 5 SHOWS even after 5 weeks of release.

UPDATE: 05/11/2007
As far as the collections of ATHIDHI in USA are concerned… HOLD YOUR BREATH… Well, no need of that actually, because FLOP here is also a FLOP there. Yeah, it is true that 23,000 individuals have seen it in the first week in USA shelling out approximately $12 per ticket. But still, the DISTRIBUTORS and EXHIBITORS in USA for ATHIDHI have not recovered their investment and are worried that they won’t be able to do so even after its full run. They have invested Rs 1.65 + Rs. 0.17 Crores. But until now, they have only recovered Rs. 1.3 Crores. Moreover, it is now running with only a paltry number of shows. So, there are no hopes of recovering the investments literally.

*** This might be ridiculous to you all, but it is a valid doubt… ATHIDHI was supposed to release in 712 theaters according to the advertisements. But, in a communique to the press, UTV stated that the movie which was released in 500+ theaters is doing well all over. That leaves a gap of 200. So I surveyed many towns across Andhra Pradesh including Hyderabad. My findings point to a possible BLUFF. In fact, barring a few main theaters, UTV-Pyramid Saimira did not even get decent theaters in Hyderabad in the first place. Most of the theaters were second rung. And even the theater count in almost all of the cities was far less than SIVAJI (A Dubbing Movie). In Hyderabad, SIVAJI got released in 45+ theaters. Whereas, ATHIDHI just peaked at 39 when it released. And the theater count has come down heavily to just 13 4-SHOW theaters. And the movie is also exiting most of the theaters all over A.P. at a very fast pace. Believe it or not… Hyderabad’s fate is still better while other centers are reeling under heavy losses.

*** It is true that ATHIDHI averaged 80%+ for the first 4 days. That is HUGE which I already predicted. The reason for that high occupancy is obviously LONG WEEKEND of 4 HOLIDAYS and of course MAHESH BABU. But the figures released by the Athidhi team are not just RIDICULOUS, but they are LAUGHABLE. The Athidhi team are claiming the record of Rs.32,14,65,000/- in just 2 weeks. WHICH IS ENTIRELY FAKE. A section of media openly ridiculed the figures. I have done enough inquiries and surveys to confirm the trend of declining collections. I am once again repeating that I do not give accurate figures. I just project BALL-PARK figures based on various findings. My own findings are projecting around Rs. 18 CRORES. Which obviously leaves a gap of at least Rs. 14 CRORES. So, can they really be so stupid as to give such figures? YES, they can be. I think you all remember the claim for record of 400 YAMADONGA 50 DAYS centers. Of 400, 116 theaters were stated as OVERSEAS centers. Which is beyond ridiculous. The same might be happening with ATHIDHI too.

*** Then the occupancy rates would come in to the picture. For the GROSS and SHARE figures that they are claiming, ATHIDHI should be supposedly averaging 80%+ even in the third week. BUT, ATHIDHI is averaging around 50-55% in SUDARSHAN 35mm (MAIN THEATER) despite the reduction in ticket prices in just 3rd week. In ONGOLE, it is averaging 45-50% in 3rd week. In NELLORE it is slightly better at 55-60% in 3rd week. In Hyderabad, it is just 50%+ in 3rd week. ATHIDHI did fairly well by recovering part the costs in NIZAM. But the rest of the areas are not so lucky. Anyway, the list goes on… So after all these findings, all I can say is that it is an obvious FLOP. I think many of you might remember, earlier this year, DIL RAJU gave a number of press conferences claiming that “MUNNA, while creating area records… Collected This Here… MUNNA Collected That There…” But what was the end result? The same scene is repeating with ATHIDHI.

*** But the most unfortunate repercussion by the debacle of Athidhi is that Mahesh Babu has changed a lot. Generally SHY GUY, Mahesh Babu is known for his STRAIGHT-FORWARDNESS and HONESTY. He was also one of the few stars along with VENKATESH that didn’t encourage FAN clubs. But off-late he too seems to be entwined in the web of stardom. He attended PRESS CONFERENCES. He gave INTERVIEWS to almost all the TV channels. He claimed some BOGUS records. He is visiting theaters all over A.P. He is participating in various contests to lure the audiences. He appeared more for the public and fans in recent times than in his entire life. There was a time when he very often and very openly ridiculed the CUT-OUTS, PALABHISHEKAMS and FAN CLUBS. But life seems to have turned a full circle for Mahesh Babu. Now, he is very oddly claiming that THUMS-UP is providing him the opportunity to meet his FANS. I just have one question here… DOES HE NEED THUMS-UP TO MEET HIS FANS AND ADMIRERS? Not only Mahesh Babu, but also every crew member including MURALI SHARMA(VILLAIN), AMRITA RAO, SURENDER REDDY(DIRECTOR) and also KRISHNA himself are giving interviews relentlessly in a bid to promote Athidhi. Just how many INTERVIEWS have you seen for MURARI, OKKADU, ATHADU, POKIRI?

*** And there was one more serious problem with the publicity. Very obviously, Mahesh Babu is the biggest star of Tollywood when it comes to Box-Office as of today. So, does he need some FAKE publicity VIA some PHONY POLAND GIRLS? I would have believed the craze if it had turned in to some serious Box-Office money. But until then I would be skeptical.

*** Mahesh Babu has said in an interview that he read the script (or listened to narration) of Athidhi for just 10 minutes. I personally feel that instead of spending a whole year in shooting for a would-be FLOP, Mahesh Babu should have read the script for at least 1 more hour. If UTV is really happy as they claim to be with ATHIDHI, then instead of DUBBING it (there were some reports in the media), they would have considered to remake Athidhi in HINDI. Dubbing, if it happens, might just be to recover some costs. Just use your common sense guys… If after all these doubts and mis-haps, one thinks and claims a BLOCKBUSTER out of ATHIDHI… he/she is probably fooling themselves.

*** The Bottom-Line of my frustration is that Mahesh Babu is a Very Good Actor, The Most Handsome Star and Very Honestly Opinionated in the Past to deliver mediocre movies. We need quality movies from him and he is one of the most Qualitative Stars of Indian Cinema and not just Tollywood.

*** My humble request with any FAN (Not just Mahesh Babu’s) is… “PLZ persuade your favorite stars to deliver Quality Films which are also Successful and not necessarily Box-Office Records. Because no one remembers the Box-Office but are always Nostalgic when they look back and find some Master-Pieces of their favorite stars. Those Master-Pieces always make Tollywood proud. —KALCHA

ALSO READ

SURENDER REDDY AND HIS CALCULATOR
KALCHAs ATHIDHI BOX-OFFICE PREDICTION
KALCHAs ATHIDHI MOVIE REVIEW
ATHIDHI MUSIC SOLD FOR RS. 0.75 CRORES

HAPPY DAYS gripped every average movie goer’s imagination like no other film has in recent times. Happy Days and its CREATOR SEKHAR KAMMULA started creating new records and sensations even before its release.

The records and sensations that HAPPY DAYS is creating…

1. Sekhar Kammula chose his cast very carefully by advertising in the media for auditions. In Tollywood, these are rare things to happen. Normally, it is only the SONS, COUSINS, NEPHEWS or just any RELATIVE or CHAMCHAS of some prominent film personalities that make it to the TOLLYWOOD FILMDOM.
2. Sekhar Kammula chose a new strategy of releasing Telugu movies. Happy Days got released a full 4 days in advance in USA. It released on 2nd, October in A.P. This shows the MARKETING ACUMEN of Sekhar Kammula. He correctly identified his target demographics. Though these are common practices in Hollywood, they are refreshing for Tollywood.
3. Happy Days was released with just 25 Prints. The Media Attention and curiosity among the general audience were never before seen over such a small release. Subsequently, the count was increased to 60 and then to 90 and now Dil Raju is promising to add at least 40-50 prints taking the total to over 130.
4. Happy Days was being released among a bunch of high profile releases like CHIRUTHA, BHAYYA, THULASI and ATHIDHI. Normally, these are perfect settings for even a good movie like Happy Days to get IGNORED. But, I am really HAPPY AND PROUD to say that Telugu film audiences have matured beyond my expectations. Happy Days has not only managed to stand on its own merit, but also emerged as the biggest BLOCKBUSTER of the year so far.
5. Happy Days is also setting the music charts on fire. Probably with a negligent acquisition price for the music rights, the audio company BIG MUSIC is enjoying some handsome profits.
6. Happy Days is definitely going to surpass my prediction on GROSS COLLECTION FIGURES. In fact, more than Sekhar, it is Dil Raju that is more happy with Happy Days. Dil Raju is just back in business after the humiliating debacle of ANNAVARAM, MUNNA and HELLO PREMISTARA. At the end of its whole run, Happy Days will surely collect Rs. 30+ Crores worldwide.
7. As of today, HAPPY DAYS is easily on its way of becoming the HIGHEST GROSSING Telugu film in USA ever. It will quite easily beat the records set by POKIRI and BOMMARILLU. At the end of its whole run in USA and other overseas centers like AUSTRALIA, UK and the GULF, it will gross between Rs. 6-9 Crores… The logic is quite simple. Bommarillu collected at an average of Rs. 535 per head over 65,000+ audiences in USA alone to collect approximately Rs. 3.5 Cr. I now expect that Happy Days would be watched by at least 120,000+ including USA and other overseas centers. Simple calculator would bring the figure to over Rs. 6 Crores. (I made a blunder earlier stating it as Rs. 9+ Cr. due to negligence which I corrected with the help of a Good Samaritan AS REDDY through his comments. I profoundly thank him for that.)

UPDATE: 05/11/2007
The latest collection trends suggest that HAPPY DAYS is going from strength to strength in USA. While ATHIDHI, CHIRUTHA and THULASI made huge losses to the DISTRIBUTORS and EXHIBITORS in USA, HAPPY DAYS is earning them handsome profits. Already 50,000 viewers have watched it and the ticket is priced at just $10. The investments incurred on it were Rs. 0.7 + 0.15 Crores. It has already collected well over Rs. 2 Crores. I am now confident that it will achieve my prediction as it is still running very successfully with a large number of shows.

8. MAA TV acquired the Television Rights for a reported Rs. 1.15 Crores. This is on par with some of the BIG BUDGET FLICKS staring HUGE STARS. That is quite an achievement for a bunch of new comers.
9. HAPPY DAYS is still having a HOSE-FULL run in most of the theaters worldwide. The average occupancy rates are still 75%+ worldwide. In 5th week, that figure spells just one thing… BLOCKBUSTER.
10. Personally I am very Happy that HAPPY DAYS was voted by 193 UNIQUE VISITORS as on date with an average 4.5 STARS on my SITE. Consider the fact that my SITE is relatively very NEW.
11. Amidst all the FAKE Box-Office figures by CHIRUTHA and ATHIDHI, I was on a Box-Office fact checking mission recently criss-crossing through some of the towns and villages in A.P. I interacted with many of the theater managements in C areas also. What surprised me the most is the fact that not only those records were FAKE… but also HAPPY DAYS was faring well in my BIRTH PLACE KAVALI. Generally, Kavali is a pucca mass town. But Chirutha and Athidhi made huge losses to the theater owners. Whereas, Happy Days made a hefty profit to the theater owner. I think that sums up the BOX-OFFICE positions of the movies released recently.

I think most of you are aware that DEVI 70mm of Hyderabad is the main theater for HAPPY DAYS. I predict that it will beat many records set by many FRONT LINE STARS in DEVI 70mm. I also predict that HAPPY DAYS will beat NINNE PELLADUTHA and CHANDRAMUKHI in the gross collections arena in DEVI 70mm. Ninne Pelladutha collected Rs. 1,03,72,483 in 189 days in DEVI 70mm. CHANDRAMUKHI collected a gross of Rs. 94 Lakhs in 100 days.

UPDATE: 11/11/2007
Much later I made the above prediction… DEVI 70mm theater management announced the 1st Record in what could be a series of records. HAPPY DAYS in its first 40 days of release in the theater collected a whopping Rs. 59,99,368/- GROSS. What did i say guys/gals? I am ecstatic that HAPPY DAYS has showcased the power of good cinema despite Big Budget flicks Chirutha and Athidhi. This is a very welcome change and seems to me that Telugu cinema is emerging from its dark days of stardom and moving towards the greatness of good cinema.

Some great comments by my readers on HAPPY DAYS REVIEW…

CHAITANYA SAID, “Hi, I can co-relate many instances of the movie to my college life and its really refreshing…and was touching too….i liked it very much..Especially Tyson(Rahul) stealed the show with his innocence. Its the first Telugu movie I liked watching after I have been to US and I could find many of my old buddies and seniors in the theater and that was refreshing. Thanks to Shekar Kammula for such a wonderful movie.

BINDU MADHAVI SAID, “evryone is gr8 in the movie gayatri is too good next is tyson(rahul) also chandu(sandesh) these three n tamanna r gr actors nikhil has gr sense of humor wat i liked the best is the value of frenship ….. its an awesome movie thanx a lot sekhar sir for givin such a gr8 movie”

SIVA SAID, “You said every thing very reasonably. I appreciate your review very much. Even though this movie is having many drawbacks like other movies but it is far away from all other rubbish telugu movies. To me the real leading character of the movie is Tyson (Rahul really did a great job). Every other character has it’s own importance and matches to many of the real personalities in our lives. Saying someone did well and someone not is simply lying or not understanding the character and it’s scope. Every character is well designed to it’s extent. Even though like you said pandu should have some time to show, this can’t be possible due to time constraints. The ethical values maintained by Sekhar are superb. It is not possible by nowadays film makers. We can pour our money and time for 6 fights,6 songs, continuous blah blah dialogues and much of nonsense in our movies and will watch them for many times. But when it comes to a good movie like this we emphasize about it’s minus points only. We have to change our mindsets. Hollywood found what makes a good movie and so Bollywood. For Tollywood it’ll take long time. Sorry for boring, but this movie is worth these lines. Even though I don’t prefer to watch this movie for it’s romantic content, I like the way how every one’s character matures.”

VENKY SAID, “I am in US - North Carolina. When the movie was released here, I missed it somehow because of conflicting schedules. After that, I waited for it every weekend for the re-release. Finally, Yesterday they released it again and this time I did not miss it. Oh Boy… What a movie!!! I will not say anything about the movie. But, I am going to watch it again today… One of the best I have seen. Even though its released second time, the theatre is full. In US, a movie rarely comes to theatres again after its first release. But, this movie was released again and it’s house full even after it released second time. I have to go early to the theatre today otherwise I may not get the tickets.”

ANONYMOUS SAID, “Hi! I watched this movie day before yesterday. Its really rocking. I haven’t seen such a natural performance of actors that too debut actors. Simply amazing… I went for second time next day. Varun(Chandu), Rahul(Tyson), Sonia(Shravs), Tamanna(Madhu) showed outstanding naturality in their action and expressions. Believe me…when I am watching the movie, after 30 minutes, I forgot that they are acting. Such natural acting. I think the actors have a bright future in tollywood. I will certainly watch the movie at least 5 times. Really it made me to go to college regularly without bunking classes. I learnt that missing college means missing your happy days. Already one year passed. I’ll enjoy the college days this three years. Thanks for Sekhar kammula to present this movie to us. Hope you will make more movies like this in future.”

ALSO READ
HAPPY DAYS FREEMONT CELEBRATION GALLERY
HAPPY DAYS SATELLITE RIGHTS SOLD FOR RS. 1.15 CRORES.
KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS BOX-OFFICE PREDICTION
KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS MOVIE REVIEW

VIYYALA VARI KAYYALU is an utter disrespect to the Telugu film audiences. I don’t think Tollywood audiences have such a cheap taste. And my dear friends, when ever U see the producer of this movie, please demand your 50 Bucks back (Assuming that you are one of the victims of VVK).

IN A NUTSHELL

VIYYALA VARI KAYYALU will open to 50-60% all over A.P. By the third day of the release, that is November 3rd, VVK would be averaging around 30-40%. If I am proven correct, then this movie is yet another disaster of the year. So, all in all 2007 is one of the worst years that Tollywood has ever seen. And these setbacks are both in terms of Box-Office and Quality. Anyway, please don’t ruin your beautiful DEEPAVALI by venturing in to the hell zone namely VIYYALA VARI KAYYALU. —KALCHA

HAPPY DAYS celebrated 30 days run in PARK theater in FREEMONT of USA. Debutant VARUN SANDESH was present with his family in the celebrations. Every one that was present in the theater and especially enjoyed the celebration. I wish the HAPPY DAYS team many more achievements along their journey to glory…

ALSO READ
HAPPY DAYS BOX-OFFICE UPDATE AND A NEW PREDICTION
HAPPY DAYS SATELLITE RIGHTS SOLD FOR RS. 1.15 CRORES.
KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS BOX-OFFICE PREDICTION
KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS MOVIE REVIEW

I really was of the opinion that it would be extremely hard for me to predict ATHIDHIs fate at the box-office. The reason being that… undoubtedly, MAHESH BABU is the biggest star of Tollywood as of today. Otherwise, nothing explains the fact… “While POKIRI grossed Rs. 55+ Crores in its entire run… the nearest grossers are stuck at Rs. 35+ Crores as of today… (Not taking Inflation in to account…)” So, it is beyond doubt that Mahesh Babu is at least TWICE A STAR when it comes to Box-Office. So, with UTV entering the Tollywood Film Market, Bollywood babe AMRITA RAO making her South Indian debut, MAHESH BABU for being just who he is (Undoubtedly, the most Handsome Star of Tollywood), SURENDER REDDY for being among the highly paid directors AND with a huge budget of Rs.20+ Crores… CAN ATHIDHI GO WRONG? The answer is YESSS… ATHIDHI can not only go wrong but makes me advice you… DO NOT LET THIS ATHIDHI STEAL Rs. 50+ HARD EARNED BUCKS FROM YOUR POCKET…

IN A NUTSHELL

With 712 theaters, it is not rocket science to predict that ATHIDHI will open HUGE… But the movie is so PATHETIC that the genuine audiences (Who are not fans) will not invite this ATHIDHI anywhere close to them… In C centers, in extremely lucky circumstances, it will run for a WEEK. In B centers, in extremely favoring circumstances, it will run for about 10-15 days. In A centers, with insanely PUBLICIZED Gross Collections and BIASED RATINGS/REVIEWS, it will run for about 25 days… Soon after that, ATHIDHI will start making losses for EXHIBITORS. Producers are already SAFE… In the end, ATHIDHI is yet another DISASTER of the year after CHIRUTHA. But the only factor that can make ATHIDHI at least an average grosser is the FESTIVAL SEASON. But I really doubt that… As far as FANS are concerned, PLEASE BE WISE… IN ORDER TO EARN THEM MONEY… DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY…

ALSO READ

KALCHAs ATHIDHI BOX-OFFICE UPDATE AND ANALYSIS
SURENDER REDDY AND HIS CALCULATOR
KALCHAs ATHIDHI MOVIE REVIEW
ATHIDHI MUSIC SOLD FOR RS. 0.75 CRORES

TULASI is by far the hardest one I ever predicted… I am writing this prediction on the second day of TULASIs release… and I already read a lot of negative reviews in the media on the first day itself… As I said earlier, this negative talk and negative publicity in the media makes this prediction very harder… But I believe in my own theories… And remember, I may also go WRONG… in which case this would become another case study for me…Always remember that my predictions are based on general movie market economics that I am aware of… through extensive study of various film industries and their business over the years… like Hollywood, Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood etc., I also assume a lot of things just based on my GUT feeling. Movie buffs should know the fact that many a time… Great movies topple at the Box-Office and Bad movies make Crores of bucks… My predictions are not at all biased and do not favor or disregard any particular STAR. If you don’t believe in me then just don’t read any further… My effort is to educate Tollywood movie buffs about the way the movie market works and how… MANY GULLIBLE PRODUCERS are losing crores of bucks through ignorance and believing blindly that STARS make money for them which is largely untrue… The recent example being the stupendous success of an all new star cast and low budget HAPPY DAYS at the same time when a huge Banner movie toppled at the Box-Office… You can read my earlier posts to verify any doubts…

IN A NUTSHELL: Thulasi will open huge due to the number of prints being 290 (Highest for Venkatesh). And then would take over the Box-Office like a Tsunami… Thulasi would gross the highest collection in VENKATESHs career… I predict the gross collection would be a Minimum of Rs. 28 Crores and may go even up to Rs. 45 Crores IF AND ONLY IF… Mahesh Babu’s Athidhi topples at the Box-Office…

REASONS:
1. Venkatesh has always been the most consistent performer at the Box-Office… Though we do not see huge frenzy for his movies as with many other leading stars… his movies have relatively been the safest bets for the producers so far… Venkatesh mostly hits the right formula to make a success out of a movie… Same is the case with Tulasi… Though critically it is a let down… it is laden with the right formula to make a blockbuster out of nothing…
2. A cute kid always appeals to all… irrespective of A, B and C classes.
3. Clean comedy always appeals to all strata of the society. (Venkatesh has one of the best comic timings…)
4. Though in overdose, Sentiment in Venkatesh’s movies always appeal to women and especially B and C centers.
5. Currently, there is not a single MASS (B and C) appealing movie since Yamadonga.
6. Venkatesh has a C-A market whereas Mahesh Babu has A-C market… So Athidhi’s release won’t effect Thulasi negatively. But might affect positively if Athidhi flops… (If you don’t understand what I mean you are always welcome to ask…) —KALCHA

DO NOT MISS KALCHAs TULASI MOVIE REVIEW

HAPPY DAYS has given the whole of Andhra Pradesh a lot of happy Days much before the festival season… Earlier, I predicted in my article KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS BOX-OFFICE PREDICTION that Sekhar Kammula’s wonder movie would collect around Rs. 6-9 Cr. in the Overseas market and a minimum of Rs. 12 Cr. in the domestic market.

And now I am ecstatic about the fact that HAPPY DAYS is well on its target in the Overseas market… But FORTUNATELY, it has surpassed my expectations by a huge margin in the domestic market… All over A.P., the movie is still commanding 100% Occupancy after 10 days of its release. And there is nothing much left to predict now… But the movie will surely collect around Rs. 18-22 Cr. in the domestic market alone. That would take the gross collections to around Rs. 26-28 Cr. including Overseas market.

Remember the fact that HAPPY DAYS was made on a very modest budget of around Rs. 3 Cr. And so the whole gross budget of the movie would still be under Rs. 5 Cr. So do your math and tell me the gross profit margin of the movie. HAPPY DAYS might become one of the BIGGEST HITS of all time in terms of PERCENTILE PROFITS… (Return On Investment)

ALSO READ
HAPPY DAYS BOX-OFFICE UPDATE AND A NEW PREDICTION
HAPPY DAYS FREEMONT CELEBRATION GALLERY
HAPPY DAYS SATELLITE RIGHTS SOLD FOR RS. 1.15 CRORES.
KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS BOX-OFFICE PREDICTION
KALCHAs HAPPY DAYS MOVIE REVIEW