Dum Maaro Dum collects Rs 16.5 crore in its opening weekend

Prakhar Joshi, Head-Programming, PVR Cinemas concurred and said that the film's occupancy was lower than expected. "The movie collected Rs 2.35 crore (gross) over the weekend. It is doing well in metros but the figures could have been better. We collected Rs 73.86 lakh on Friday, Rs 77 lakh on Saturday and Rs 82 lakh on Sunday," he said.

Wankhede blames poor word-of-mouth for the film's opening. Cinemax India held 10 paid previews on Thursday from 6.30 pm onwards but shows began filling up only after 8 pm. "It was brave of the makers to hold paid previews because it can make or break a movie. However, even those who saw the preview did not contribute to positive word-of-mouth for the film, thereby hurting its chances," he said. Singh of Fox Star Studios is unperturbed. "With paid previews, you are scared about the opinions people may form about your movie but we were confident of our product and had no inhibitions in screening the film. The film's success has vindicated our belief in producing an unconventional film like DMD. In fact, we did a survey where DMD ranked seventh in terms of word-of-mouth, eclipsing films like Band Baaja Baaraat and Tanu Weds Manu," he said.

DMD got a mixed response in overseas territories. With Fox Star Studios' unparalleled reach, the film has collected around $1.4 million over the weekend. "We collected $3,60,000 in the US, $3,00,000 in the Middle East, $1,57,000 in UK, $1,50,000 in Australia and New Zealand while the balance $4,00,000 was collected from countries like Malaysia, Singapore etc." Singh said.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra said that DMD will lose a few crore post its opening weekend. "The film will lose Rs 10-15 crore. It is experimental and has no repeat value. It does not have a heroine either while the music is a big letdown. Abhishek Bachchan and the camerawork are the only redeeming factors of the film," he said.

... contd.

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