Will Welcome Back and Hera Pheri 3 work without Akshay Kumar?

Q. Can ‘Welcome Back’ and ‘Hera Pheri 3’ become blockbusters without Akshay Kumar’s presence? - Wasaf Shaikh

A. Amongst lead actors, Akshay Kumar probably has the best comic timing after Govinda. His presence will definitely be missed in both films, more so in ‘Heri Pheri 3’ because the reason for the popularity of the series is the much-loved chemistry between Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty and Akshay. The actor replacing him (John Abraham) has zero comic timing, but has done well in comedy films with multiple actors. So both films that you ask about, can still be blockbusters as long as the content is liked and the actors perform well.

Q. What is the release date of Shahrukh Khan’s Fan and Rohit Shetty’s next? - Charlie

A. Rohit Shetty’s next film with Shahrukh Khan is confirmed for Christmas. The film goes on floors on March 4 and shoot will be wrapped up by August / September. FAN doesn’t have a release date at this stage, but we hear the film has been pushed to 2016. A fairly reliable source has also informed us that YRF could be targeting the post-IPL period for FAN and a Christmas 2016 release for Raees. However, it’s probably a little too early to talk about both films.

Q. Why a film like ‘Baby’ has failed to collect at the box office even though it was highly praised by the audience and critics - Dhaval Patel

A. The genre of the film has limited appeal. Even a film like ‘Talaash’ featuring arguably the biggest box-office star in the country, collected Rs 90 crore. A multiplex targeted thriller like ‘Don 2’, released during Christmas, did business of around Rs 110 crore. For its genre, Baby did well at the box office, but the problem for the film was its economics. Such films need to be made within 50-60 crore, including star fee, to be profitable. Else, the risk is way too high. If Baby wasn’t a well-made film, it would have been a disaster.

Q. Hi Indicine! Big fan of your site and I follow it almost every day. Why did everyone stop updating PK’s box office collection after 6th week? Can you please update its latest reports and if possible its worldwide collections? How long more will PK run till it closes its lifetime? And will any movie in the below given list be able to cross 300 crores in coming years - Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, SRK - Rohit Shetty’s next, Sultan, Raees, Shhuddhi. Just tell me by seeing how good the directors of these film have done in the past and by analyzing the release dates of these films - Blake

A. The collections of PK are in thousands now and it has ended its run at most centres. The film has collected Rs 340 – 341 crore. Worldwide gross is Rs 614 crore. As for films crossing the 300 crore mark, all those films that you mention have a chance as long as they have universal appeal, word-of-mouth is extra ordinary and the opening is good. 300 crore will still be out of reach for films that don’t do well in the long run, even if they manage to collect Rs 200 crore in Week 1. Only two films have collected more than Rs 250 crore at the box office – PK and Dhoom 3, both collected a little more than 180 crore in Week 1, but while PK managed to cross the 300 crore mark, Dhoom 3 didn’t. The difference was content.

Q. Why Ranbir Kapoor signed Roy when he knew the film wouldn’t work? – Ravi Kishan Arya

A. Roy was a win-win situation for both Ranbir Kapoor and T-Series. Our sources say, he was paid Rs 10 crore for a extended special appearance, which is a lot of money! If Roy failed, it wouldn’t affect Ranbir’s standing in the industry. T-Series marketed it smartly and they say Roy is a profitable venture for them. If not for Ranbir, the film would have finished under 15 crore net at the box office.

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