New Delhi: Everything was in favour to make Roy a money-minting machine at box office. An ensemble of a dream star cast - Ranbir Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Kapoor to keep the cash registers ringing; the soundtracks that would be counted amongst the best of the year and a brilliant pre-release buzz, which any flick desperately requires.
But it's collection of Rs 10.40 cr on opening day didn't justify the above high-yielding factors. Yes, the fact remains that the movie has got the biggest opening of the year so far followed by Akshay Kumar starrer ‘BABY', which made around Rs 9 cr on Day 1. But it isn't a kind of start we were expecting from this hugely anticipated multi-starrer flick.
Roy witnessed a slight growth on Saturday and collected Rs 11.16 cr nett in India but slipped badly and collected Rs 7.12 cr on Sunday. "Roy Fri 10.40 cr, Sat 11.16 cr, Sun 7.12 cr [biz affected due to cricket match]. Total: Rs 28.68 cr. India biz," tweeted trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh.
However, on Sunday much of the damage was done by the electrifying India vs Pakistan match that occupied most part of the day. But yet the movie didn't recover well on Monday.
If we compare individual box office performance of trio's flicks with Roy there is a good difference. Ranbir's last release Besharam garnered Rs 20 cr on its opening day, Jacqueline Fernandez ‘Kick' minted 26.14 cr on the day of its release and Arjun Rampal's Satyagraha collected Rs 12 cr nett in India.
It isn't that Roy is hit by the World Cup as most the trade analyst usually believes. But there are few other reasons as to why Roy got a less than expected response. The movie's minimal collection was expected to be around Rs 15-20 cr nett on Day 1.
What stopped the flick from achieving the target was first, critics' bad verdict about it. However, lesser section of the audience listens to what reviewers have to say and go on to have a good time in theatres. But moviegoers too find it hard to stand those 2 hr 30 minutes of boredom romance. They find the movie like a slow torture with only terrific soundtrack bringing a sigh of relief.
In an attempt to make an intelligent movie with a slideshow of break-taking visuals, director Vikramjit Singh ended up confusing the audience. The movie unexpectedly ended up being draggy and the star power couldn't help it in any way.
Last year, Salman Khan's Jai Ho too received a similar reaction. The movie, however, opened good, thanks to bhai's starry aura and honest fan following. But just after the weekend, the collection dropped drastically. The movie despite hitting a ton, which it somehow managed in its extended run at box office, was considered as Rs 100 cr flop.
Roy by far doesn't seem to inch anywhere closer to the elite club. The scenario is quite clear. The masses can digest the content on a condition if it's supplied with entertainment and no-nonsense. Roy apart from these two factors only had the promising actors to do the required work for it.
Ranbir Kapoor's Barfi too would be a dud had it not been supported by tight script packed with light-hearted moments. This year's BABY starring Akshay Kumar however looked good once its trailer released but a brilliant response it got at box office wasn't unexpected.
And right technique is the reason why BABY with a single big star fetched Rs 36.07 cr nett in three days of its release while the multi-starrer Roy just managed Rs 28.68 cr within the same time period.
