Despite many negative reviews and generating some controversies, "Ra.One" is doing very well at the box office, breaking Bollywood records according to many. Despite the film's reviews, many agree that — for better or worse — it is breaking new ground.
After setting a new record for Bollywood's most expensive film, "Ra.One" opened at a record 5,000 screens worldwide, making it Bollywood's (and India's) widest release ever. It opened on 3,200 to 3,500 (estimates vary) screens in just India; the last big release, "Bodyguard," opened on about 2,500 to 2,700. The highest Bollywood release in the U.S. to date was "My Name is Khan," at 120 theaters. Figures aren't out yet for "Ra.One," but it's expected to break that record.
The high number of screens combined with higher rates charged for the 3-D version of the film fueled high collections. Box Office India reported that Ra.One grossed 25 rupees crore ($5 million), breaking the 20-crore record set in late August by "Bodyguard." Most outlets reported an even higher second-day gross that may have set the single-day record for an Indian film. Indian-film pundits and critics have estimated that "Ra.One" will continue to break records set by "Bodyguard" through the week, breaking the hit threshold of 100 crore by today. (The box office battle between "Ra.One" and "Bodyguard" is especially interesting because of the antagonism between respective stars Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan.)
This roundup of reviews from The Wall Street Journal's India Real Time blog notes that while most reviewers called "Ra.One" a disappointment, some noted "conceptually it is modern in its vision." Another reviewer (in one of the film's few positive reviews) said the film lifts Bollywood into a new era by setting a high bar for action.
Much of the hype surrounding "Ra.One" before its release was that it sought to bring Bollywood to a Hollywood level with sci-fi special effects and the primarily American superhero genre. That has sparked both interest and controversy, with some arguing that Indian culture doesn't have a need for superheroes. (For some of my opinion on this argument, see this post.)
Despite the negative reviews and the science fiction debate, "Ra.One" seems to have achieved its goal of wide recognition. The film has also been noted by North American media, including the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Toronto's The Globe and Mail and the Los Angeles Times.
And "Ra.One" has broken records at the box office, as the most-expensive Bollywood film and as the widest-released Bollywood film. Even if it's met with criticism, "Ra.One" has achieved its goal of hype.
Read my review of "Ra.One" and how it both delivered on and fell short of expectations here.
And in other news, as part of Asian Kaleidescope Month, the Bollywood film "Veer-Zaara" is playing at the Reitz Union at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Directed by one of Bollywood's most famous directors, "Veer-Zaara" tells the story of an Indian man and a Pakistani woman who fall in love despite numerous divides between them, and you can read a review I wrote of the film here. Find out more information and RSVP on Facebook.
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Posts in The Filmi Gator appear on Mondays.
"Ra.One" stars Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal pose at the film's premiere in London on Tuesday. Among other records, "Ra.One" became the first 3-D Bollywood film to be released in the U.K.
