New Bond film ‘Spectre’ tops North American box office The new James Bond movie “Spectre” had a softer opening than expected at the North American box office, raking in $70.4 million at the weekend, industry figures showed Monday
Sony had projected that the 24th film in the spy series — with Daniel Craig as the dashing secret agent, Italian beauty Monica Bellucci and Oscar-winning Austrian star Christoph Waltz as the villain — would earn $73 million.
Worldwide, the film has earned some $300 million, with industry experts saying it needs to make $650 million to break even.
The previous instalment of the James Bonds series — “Skyfall” — earned $88.4 million when it opened.
“Spectre” faced stiff competition from computer animated 3D cartoon “The Peanuts Movie” — the first big screen rendering in 35 years for the beloved comic characters — which sold $44.2 million in tickets to debut in second place, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
Third place went to “The Martian” — $9 million in ticket sales — which has generated serious Oscar buzz for lead actor Matt Damon, who plays a NASA scientist accidentally left on the Red Planet.
The movie has earned a whopping $197 million in the six weeks since its release.
“Goosebumps”, the family-friendly action-comedy based on a series of books by R.L. Stine, earned $6.8 million for fourth place.
Steven Spielberg’s well-received Cold War drama “Bridge of Spies” starring Tom Hanks was in fifth with $5.8 million.
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo is proof that no one else can make a film like Sooraj Barjatya. His films may not have the best story ever told, but they definitely have the right allure and trappings to satisfy the quintessential Indian family. Indians watch their films as families, that’s a fact Salman Khan swears by as well, and no one caters to that sensibility like Sooraj Barjatya. With PRDP, he’s back in top form. It’s just that his skills on the editing table have turned a bit rusty.
Just shy of 3 hours, PRDP is long and at times arduous. Not that the story doesn’t hold attention, the film keeps you engaged all through, but right through it’s 174-minute runtime, PRDP has at least a dozen scenes that were simply too long or not needed at all. You could argue that films with 8-9 full length songs are an editor’s nightmare, but PRDP largely benefits from it’s songs. Jab tum chaho is the stand out number and almost all the other songs are pleasant enough to add to the overall audience experience.
PRDP is like an opulent Indianised package of the Prince and Pauper tale. Like Sonam Kapoor’s Khoobsurat, it takes on an exclusive ride in to the world of Indian royalty. You have the sights and sounds of palaces and luxury beyond imagination. And the story of two Salman Khans is woven into these exotic and impressive visuals. That is the strength of PRDP. It looks like an expensive production and the visuals are a pure delight to watch on a big screen.
The story though is not as impressive. Prince Vijay (Salman Khan) is attacked by an unknown member of his own family.
Look-alike Prem Dilwala (Salman Khan) is hired to be the body double stand in, till the manager of the estate (Anupam Kher) can sort matters out. In the process, Vijay’s fiancé Princess Maithili (Sonam Kapoor) discovers the free spirited side of royalty. The pauper gets down to cleaning up the mess in the Prince’s life. In the process, the Princess falls in love with him. The story turns out as simple as it sounds. There are no frills, no twists and no surprises. Just a straight-laced love story that goes with the heart and keeps logic at a safe distance.
Logic has never had a great part to play in Salman Khan movies.
And as usual the superstar brings his characteristic charm in abundance to make PRDP an entertaining film. His usual brand of silly humour, quirky dancing and muscle flexing action are all there. Yet, Salman is not the hero of PRDP, at least not the way Salman films turn out. He’s not the only reason you’d want to watch the film. That title, without doubt rests with Sooraj Barjatya and his efforts in making PRDP. The director and his vision rule supreme.
That allows Sonam Kapoor to dazzle in a meaty role. She definitely looks like royalty and her performance of a love lorn princess adds a nice touch to the proceedings of PRDP. Anupam Kher, Deepak Dobriyal, Swara Bhaskar and Armaan Kohli pitch in with decent performances. But Neil Nitin Mukesh is left at the mercy of some horrendous dialogues. Some of his lines are embarrassing.
Despite its flaws, PRDP manages to entertain you. It’s long yes, and most of its story is almost too sentimental. But then it works, especially if you like family dramas with a dash of style and humour. This is definitely worth a watch.
