Kalank not a loss-making venture despite disappointing box office

Image: Twitter/@DharmaMovies

Multi-starrer Kalank packed strong numbers on day one, becoming the biggest opener of 2019 at Rs 21.60 crore. However, since then, it has been difficult for the big-ticket offering to sustain the momentum at the box office.

The film, released on April 17, witnessed a dip in the growth from day two at Rs 11.45 crore with the decline going as high as 46.99 percent, the highest so far.

Kesari, which is closest to Kalank in terms of the opening number at Rs 21.06 crore, saw a fall of around 21 percent on the second day.

The Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt starrer saw minimal growth on day three with multiplexes performing better than mass circuits. Even during the weekend, the Rs 150-crore venture could not make a mark.

Its opening weekend business at Rs 31 crore remained dull as trade experts estimated the film to garner Rs 100 crore in five days of its release.

Talking to Moneycontrol, film trade analyst Atul Mohan said that a huge expectation from the film was one reason why Kalank turned out to be a big disappointment. “One of the costliest films, otherwise Dharma makes films in the range of Rs 30-Rs 40 crore, the budget of three movies in one movie, one of the biggest ensemble of stars, huge sets," are some of the reasons Mohan listed for the film’s lacklustre performance.

With two days remaining for Avengers Endgame to hit theatres, there isn’t much expectation from Kalank during the weekdays. “When you have not benefited from the national holiday, Good Friday, or maybe Sunday, it was Rs 11 crore, so I don’t see any turn around happening for the film,” said Mohan.

Grabbing a total of Rs 66 crore in six days, Mohan said that, despite being a big disappointment in terms of theatrical business, the film is not a loss-making venture. “If you look at other platforms the makers have managed to rake in profits. They got Rs 75 crore for digital and satellite rights and Rs 25 crore from overseas. So they have already got Rs 100 crore there.”

He further clarified that the film's music added Rs 20 crore, taking the non-box office revenues to Rs 120 crore. So, that means the makers have made roughly 10 percent profits already.

Kalank is having a strong run overseas with the film doing good business in the UK and the USA/Canada. In fact, Kalank emerged the highest-grossing film of 2019 in United Kingdom in five days. There are expectations that the film would rake in 1 million pounds (Rs 9 crore) in UK, which would be a big feat considering the film market is dwindling in the country.

In the US/Canada circuit, the film has scored around USD 1.8 million (Rs 12.56 crore respectively) in five days.

Although the film has not failed at the box office, there are still lessons to learn from Kalank said Mohan. “You may have all the actors and huge sets, but, at the end of the day, it is the narrative which is going to get the audience to view.”