'New York' first big hit of 2009?

After a dry spell at the box office for six months, theatre owners are finally smiling. New York, the Kabir Khan-directed film, has opened to a great response — the first film to do so since last year’s runaway hit, Ghajini.

“New York is the first film of 2009 that can be declared a ‘hit.’ The film has had an excellent opening and has finally brought people back to the theatres,” says Komal Nahta, editor of The Film Street Journal. Nahta adds that Slumdog Millionaire had done good business too, but New York is the first Hindi film to do so.

Devang Sampat of the Cinemax chain of cinemas compares the opening of New York to that of Ghajini, which broke records when released last year. “It’s getting better. It had a 70 per cent occupancy rate across all Cinemax theatres on Friday, which went up to 90 per cent on Saturday. Also, the feedback on the film has been mostly positive,” says Sampat, adding that the response has been unanimously good in cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and in Gujarat.

The year started with great promise, with biggies like Chandni Chowk To China, Delhi-6. However, they bombed. Later, Raaz-The Mystery Continues, Dev.D and 99 did well, but none of them really set the stage on fire, say trade experts. The multiplex-producer strike further aggravated the situation. Kal Kissne Dekha, the first release after the multiplex strike, was expected to bring in the crowds, but it didn’t.

The fact that the Rs 25crore New York has a star-studded cast and a big banner like Yash Raj presenting it makes it the first big release since the strike ended. But if it has to be declared a hit, say experts, it needs to be able to sustain itself beyond the opening weekend. Trade expert Taran Adarsh believes it will. “The film is being liked and has the potential to turn into a major hit,” says Adarsh, who says that with Kambakkht Ishq, Luck, Love Aaj Kal and Kaminey to release soon, the tide may well turn for the film industry in 2009.