What Is The Secret Sauce That Makes A Film Hit Or Flop At The Box Office?

Some mysteries remain unsolved. No matter how much people try to find an answer, they fail. Bollywood also does not come without its share of mysteries. If you are wondering why we are discussing mysteries today, then let me tell you that we have been pretty surprised by the box office figures of the recently released Rangoon. Despite having a good star cast, a huge budget and adequate pre-release hype, the film failed to kick start at the box office! Where is the flaw? Is it in the film’s making or in its marketing or both or something else?

Vishal Bhardwaj is a master storyteller and nobody would ever dare to doubt or deny that. He has proven his finesse time and again with amazing films like Haider, Omkara, Kaminey to name a few. But the mystery about box office is that it is extremely unpredictable. Nobody, perhaps even God can’t predict beforehand, which film the audience will embrace and from which they will turn their face away. Such is the case not just with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Rangoon but also with another film, which hit theatres in January this year— Shaad Ali’s directorial OK Jaanu. The film made a lifetime collection of Rs 23.05 crores only and failed to garner critical acclaim as well. Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor’s jodi had set the screen on fire with Aashiqui 2 in 2013. Then what went wrong with the Hindi remake of Mani Ratnam’s Tamil blockbuster O Kadhal Kanmani?

Film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi feels, it is content, which is ultimately responsible for a film’s failure or success. But the budget, with which a film is made, also plays a role in its box office performance. He said, “Rangoon’s appeal was to a limited audience but the film was made with a huge budget. I feel this was a foolish thing to do.” He feels films like these should be a learning lesson about how much to invest in what kind of a film.

What about OK Jaanu? “Its story is old wine in a new bottle. The subject of live-in relationships has been used in films again and again. What is new in it?” questions Bengaluru-based film distributor Ajay Pal. For Rangoon however, he feels, “The trailer was misleading. It confused the audience who couldn’t understand whether it is a triangular love story or a war drama and hence the film failed to make a start.”

It’s not just Rangoon or OK Jaanu but several films which released last year and had a similar fate. For instance, Fitoor, Baar Baar Dekho and Rock On 2. All these films were adequately marketed before their release. Kala Chashma became the party anthem of the nation even before Baar Baar Dekho hit theatres. Rock On!!’s smashing success made people eagerly wait for its sequel and Fitoor’s music mesmerised us!

Despite these, the films did not taste commercial success. Why? Akshaye answers that by saying, “Social media hype does not imply that people will shell out bucks to go to theatres and watch a film. The content should be good, engaging and high on entertainment value. Baar Baar Dekho cashed in on Kaala Chashma but the film failed as the story was not good enough.” Citing example of films like Dangal and Bahubali, he said, “Aamir Khan did not go to reality shows before Dangal, he did not do a lot of social media promotions and we all know how much successful Dangal became. How many people in north India knew about the genius of S.S. Rajamouli or heard Prabhas’ name before Bahubali released? Look where the film stands today! It’s sequel is much-awaited across the country and is also being made with a bigger budget.”

Another recently released film, Sankalp Reddy’s The Ghazi Attack has surprised us! Even though expectations were not very high but the movie is performing pretty well with word of mouth publicity! The makers did not do a lot of publicity before its release, nor does it boast of a big star cast but nothing is stopping it from raking in moolahs! Ajay Pal chooses to clear the confusion there. He said, “You can’t make a good film with a big hero and a bad script! The Ghazi Attack has something different to offer, which people have not seen before. It’s a beautifully made film on navy. Star cast is not enough to make a good film, the script is equally important. How many films sustain without content?” Citing example of super-hits like Salman Khan starrer Sultan and Aamir Khan’s Dangal, he said, “Of course both the films had big heroes. But they had wonderful scripts as well!” That was bang on!

What in your opinion is responsible for a film’s box office success? Why does a film flop? We would love to read your comments below!