Home / Arts and Entertainment / 'Ramayana' Movie Gamble Mirrors DDLJ's Diwali Box Office Bet
'Ramayana' Movie Gamble Mirrors DDLJ's Diwali Box Office Bet
3 Nov
Summary
- Ramayana's release before Diwali challenges traditional dull movie periods.
- DDLJ's 1995 success shows pre-Diwali low openings can lead to blockbusters.
- Hum Saath Saath Hain also saw improved business after its pre-Diwali release.
The film 'Ramayana' is set to release on Thursday, November 5, preceding Diwali by three days. This decision has surprised industry experts, as the period before Diwali is typically slow for movie releases due to consumer focus on shopping and festivities. Even Diwali day sees reduced evening collections owing to Lakshmi Puja.
This 'Ramayana' gamble brings to mind 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' (DDLJ) in 1995. DDLJ released on Friday, October 20, while Diwali was on Monday, October 23. Despite ranking last in opening-day and weekend collections among 15 major releases that year, it achieved a massive lifetime collection of Rs. 53 crores, becoming a blockbuster.
The article highlights that DDLJ's opening day earnings were only Rs. 55 lakhs and its opening weekend was Rs. 1.56 crores, lower than many other films released that year. However, its performance significantly improved during the post-Diwali holidays, climbing to seventh place in first-week collections with Rs. 3.37 crores.
Another example is 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' (1999), which released on Friday, November 5, before Diwali on Sunday, November 7. While its initial collections were impacted by the pre-Diwali period, it still had the third-biggest opening of the year and became the biggest hit after a substantial jump in business post-festivities.
It remains to be seen how 'Ramayana' performs in its initial four days. However, it has the opportunity to showcase its full potential from Monday, November 9, during the lucrative post-Diwali holiday period, echoing DDLJ's success story from 31 years ago.
