'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan's failure leads to industry overhaul: Report
What's the story
The highly anticipated action thriller, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (BMCM), directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, was released on April 11 (Eid) but fizzled out quickly at the Indian box office. Despite a substantial production budget and a star-studded cast including Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, the film did not meet expectations. Recently, Film Companion spoke to Bollywood trade analysts who dissected the reasons behind the film's dismal performance despite relentless promotions.
Opening collection
'BMCM's opening day collection disappointed the industry
BMCM's opening day collection was a mere ₹15.65cr, significantly lower than the typical Eid releases which historically opened at ₹30cr. Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi commented on the film's performance, stating "They just didn't come together in the way that they should have to be able to do what it takes." Factors such as poor advance bookings and confusion around its release date (due to the Eid holiday) attributed to the film's underwhelming performance.
Release confusion
Last-minute release date change added to 'BMCM's woes
Adding to the film's struggles was a last-minute change in BMCM's release date from April 10 to April 11. An industry source revealed, "The advance bookings of both [Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan] were terrible and very low for an Eid film." "Considering the huge budget on which it has been made, this film has proven to be a heavy loss for distributors and producers," per analyst Komal Nahta. The movie was reportedly mounted on a budget of ₹350cr!
Industry impact
'BMCM's underperformance will impact Hindi film industry
The underperformance of BMCM is expected to have lasting effects on the Hindi film industry. Sanket Kulkarni, Head of Business Development (Theatrical) at ORMAX Media, stated, "The sustained flow of audiences [that event films bring in] is crucial for the industry's overall health." "Post-pandemic, the likelihood of overall box office growth hinges more on big films outperforming expectations rather than mid-level films achieving unexpected success." "Hence, when a potential blockbuster falls short, the opportunity cost is substantial."
Fees
Exorbitant fees charged by actors need to be slashed
So, is there a way out? A source emphasized the humungous star cast fees and said, "The problem in Indian movies is that they are very front-loaded with actor fees." Per FC, Kumar charged a whopping ₹165cr, which contributed greatly to the movie's cost. Similarly, for Maidaan, money was spent like water on Ajay Devgn's entourage. "The industry is making a correction. It has already started for a majority of the actors right now. The fees are getting adjusted."
Clash
How the clash impacted both movies
The report also underlined how the Maidaan-BMCM clash impacted the two movies. "The whole atmosphere was shameful. When there's a clash between two actors, the trade and the media tend to play it up and generate a lot of negativity... There was a huge fan war that happened." "People should not be wasting their time in a clash to attack somebody else's home. They should focus on their own campaign."
Other factors
Paid reviews also didn't do 'BMCM' any good
Paid reviews can also raze a film to the ground and several production houses (Pooja Entertainment, which backed BMCM, being one of them) are notorious for relying on influencers and social media "critics" to dole out stellar ratings for their movies. However, the audience is not gullible anymore, and it takes only a few days of observation to realize which "critics" genuinely like the film and which ones are simply tweeting for money.
Information
Box office reports of 'BMCM' and 'Maidaan'
Per Sacnilk, BMCM has made a little over ₹50cr at the Indian box office so far, with its collections dwindling every day. On the other hand, Maidaan's performance is even poorer, and it has only minted ₹28.35cr so far.