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Dil Kya Kare Loses Heart Quickly

Arthur J Pais in New York

Dil Kya Kare, which showed early that it had a weak heart in the United States, suffered a financial haemorrhage in the second weekend, grossing $ 54,000 on screens, crashing to 51st position on the box-office chart from 27th.

According to Daily Variety, the film grossed about $ 248,000 in 10 days. It could end up with a mediocre $325,000. But it is faring far better in the United Kingdom. It has remained at No 14 there on 22 screens for two weeks.

The first weekend, Dil Kya Kare took in about $ 150,000, with the highest per screen average in United Kingdom. It took a reasonable 32 per cent dive in the second week, grossing about $ 350,000 in 10 days. Box-office pundits expect it to conquer $ 500,000.

Meanwhile, Taal, which is still doing good business at more than 50 halls in England and North America (with single shows in most theaters) has grossed about $ 2.85 million, with $ 2.1 million of the box-office minted in American dance halls. The film could reach the $ 3 million mark in two weeks, and end its run with another $ 150,000.

Earth, though, could do with more fertile ground. Last weekend, it took about $ 48,000 in North America and was at No. 28 on the box-office chart, with a total gross of $258,000 in 24 days. In England, it has embraced about $100,000 in three weeks.

Despite generally upbeat reviews in many mainstream publications, Earth , has not set the box-office scorching in the art circuits.

"For many Americans who are used to the films of (Satyajit) Ray, Earth looks like a regular desi masala film with song and dance," says film-maker Suprotim Bose. "And for many desis it is not a sufficiently upbeat film. And frankly, many desis are uncomfortable with its attempt to blame everyone for the Partition terror."

"Desis would rather see Sarfarosh twice than see Earth," he said. "There we know who the enemy is."

Sarfarosh has grossed about $750,000 in North America. Earth could eventually gross about $ 700,000 and $ 300,000 in the United Kingdom.

Buena Vista Social Club, a documentary by Werner Herzog about Cuban musicians, is a sleeper hit of the season, having grossed $ 5.5 million in the United States and over $ 12 million in a handful of European countries.

The Film Executive produced by Deepak Nayyar (who began his movie career in India over 20 years ago with Bhimsain's Gharonda and then moved to America), could eventually dance to the tune of $ 30 million. It cost about $ four million to make.

Manoj Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense is seeing the least decline. This weekend it lost just about 14 per cent of its box-office. Still among the top 10 films in America, it grossed about $ 7.5 million last weekend, and with about $ 240,000 psyched by now, it is on its way to an hypnotic $ 265 million.

It is now the 16th most successful film ever made in America; the list is led by the $ 610 million Titanic gross. By the time, it ends its American run, The Sixth Sense could be at the 12th position among the all-time box-office champs.

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