Few films in 2015 had the kind of drama that accompanied the clash of Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale, at the box office.
Few films in 2015 had the kind of drama that accompanied the clash of Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale, at the box office. What no one outside the industry circles knows however, is the back-story of why the clash took place. Why did the makers of these films decide to go ahead with their release on the exact same day despite pleas from theatre owners and distributors to reach a compromise And who came out on top in this battle of the box office Read on
Pre-release buzz While Dilwale went to town with their promotional activities (that included an ode to the iconic Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge as well), The Bajirao Mastani team went in for limited promotions, with one of the leading ladies, priyanka Chopra, away in the US for the shoot of her show Quantico. However, she did put in her bit from across the oceans. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan also wooed the NRI audiences in London and Dubai with a big campaign.
Fight over screens Bajirao’s producer Eros International had previously struck a deal with single screen theatres in the country, but two days before his film’s release, the accord collapsed. Most single screen theatres ended up showing Dilwale. While acquiring major visibility in single screens and multiplexes, Dilwale also acquired maximum screens overseas. More screens meant more revenue at the box office for Dilwale.
Word of mouth When it came to word of mouth feedback, Bajirao Mastani scored hugely over Dilwale. First weekend over, Dilwale’s dream run came up against hurdles. Apart from bad feedback, show cancellations in key Indian cities due to the recent controversy surrounding SRK’s comments on intolerance played a major role in decelerating Dilwale’s momentum.
Rohit-SRK fallout Soon after the numbers for Bajirao Mastani started picking up against those of Dilwale in the domestic circuit, rumours of a fallout between director Rohit Shetty and SRK began to do the rounds: Apparently, Rohit had been disinclined to clash with Bajirao Mastani throughout — contrary to SRK’s wishes. In fact, even Sanjay Leela Bhansali had wanted to avoid a same day release since that would eat into each film’s collections. But Eros was adamant on releasing Bajirao on December 18 since they had announced the date first.
Overall collections So who finally won at the box office Dilwale has managed to earn a fantastic overseas collection — approximately Rs 110 crores. In India, it has collected around Rs 134 cr. On the other hand, Bajirao Mastani earned approximately Rs 133 cr (in India) and about Rs 70 cr (overseas). The clash meant that the films considerably ate into each other’s business, but both have recovered their money.
