'Yuvvraaj' box-office collections disappointing

MUMBAI: Subhash Ghai's "Yuvvraaj", despite having a no-holds-barred promotion, is a box-office disappointment.

The movie opened with dismal initial collections, ranging from 40 percent to 45 percent. The box-office returns improved a little Saturday and may improve further on Sunday.

But trade experts predict that collections of "Yuvvraaj" will slide from Monday onwards, going by its box-office performance in the first two days of its release.

They said that though the movie is lavishly mounted and is pleasing to the eye, what it lacks is novelty value in the script to hold the interest of the younger generation of cinegoers.

"Despite all his experience in filmmaking, director Subhash Ghai seems to be out of sync with the changing trends in filmmaking in Bollywood today," a trade analyst said.

The film is faring better at the small town single-screen cinemas than in multiplexes in big cities and metros.

In comparison, last week's release, Dharma Production' "Dostana," is garnering good collections across India even in the second week of its run. Unlike "Yuvvraaj", the movie is attracting young viewers in the big cities, even though both share the same number of screens there.

Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" and Aamir Khan starrer "Ghajini" due for release in the coming weeks, may have a big impact on the box-office collections of "Dostana" and "Yuvvraaj."

"While 'Dostana' will have by then made its pile of box-office revenues, the loser may be 'Yuvvraaj'," said a trade analyst.