By Hindustan Times
Ecstatic with the performance of Housefull 2, producer Sajid Nadiadwala says they’ve already planned to increase the franchise. “Housefull 3 is actually at the cards. Dependent on the plot, we can decide what number of actors can be a part of the following film’s star cast,” he says. In line with Nadiadwala, the loo Abraham-Akshay Kumar starrer was made within the range of Rs. 60 crore to Rs. 64 crore. They spent an extra Rs. 12 crore at the promotional campaign. That brings the whole cost of the project to about Rs. 72 crore - Rs. 76 crore. The producer says, “Over the outlet weekend, the film made approximately Rs. 44.5 crore in India.” He adds, “The satellite rights of the film were sold in January 2011 for Rs. 27 crore. The music rights fetched an extra Rs. 5.5 crore.”
Since the unique Housefull (2010) had netted a complete of Rs. 75 crore, Nadiadwala had confidently declared that the sequel could break into the Rs. 150 crore club. Now, he’s more careful along with his predictions, saying, “Despite the continued Indian Premier League (IPL), we should always be capable of make Rs. 125 crore. We took a conscious decision to release it throughout the cricket tournament.”
Trade experts, however, peg Housefull 2’s success a couple of notches lower. Vajir Singh, editor, Box Office India, calculates all India collections by breaking down different territories (Gujarat-Maharashtra v/s Delhi-Uttar Pradesh), a supposedly more accurate method. “The film has aggregated a complete of Rs. 40.18 crore,” Vajir insists. Trade analyst Amod Mehra seconds him.
Industry experts Komal Nahta and Taran Adarsh agree on an approximate figure of Rs. 43.5 crore collections over the weekend. Komal says, “Housefull 2 is the largest opening of the year after Agneepath.” As of now, the film seems to haven't any competition for the reason that next release, Bittoo Boss, has no established star cast.
Sunil Punjabi, CEO, Cinemax India Ltd, adds that the film has had a mixed response from audiences. He says, “The comedy is operating in all markets and plenty of shows over the weekend were houseful. We also see a better share of family audiences coming in, especially since schools are closed for the summer. Overall occupancy over the weekend have been 70-80 per cent.”
