Salman Khan's much-awaited Dabangg 3 saw an average opening at the box office.
The film peaked on Sunday but that was not good enough for a Salman franchise. The Christmas holidays may be the only solace for the film.
Vinod Mirani gives us the weekly box office verdict.
Dabangg 3
Cast: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sudeep, Saiee Manjrekar and Arbaaz Khan.
Director: Prabhu Deva.
What works: Sonakshi Sinha's punchlines.
What doesn't: Shoddily put together mess.
Number of weeks: New.
Box Office verdict: Average opening.
Mardaani 2
Cast: Rani Mukerji, Rajesh Sharma, Jisshu Sengupta and Vishal Jethwa.
Director: Gopi Puthran.
What works: Rani Mukerji and Vishal Jethwa.
What doesn't: Dialogues lack punch.
Number of weeks: 1.
Box Office verdict: Hit.
Body
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Rishi Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala and Vedhika.
Director: Jeethu Joseph.
What works: Rishi Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi and Sobhita Dhulipala's performances.
What doesn't: The film lose its grip in the second.
Number of weeks: 1.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Pati Patni Aur Woh
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Pandey, Bhumi Pednekar and Aparshakti Khurana.
Director: Mudassar Aziz.
What works: Good performances.
What doesn't: Too much melodrama in the climax.
Number of weeks: 2.
Box Office verdict: Hit.
Panipat
Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Sanjay Dutt, Zeenat Aman, Mohnish Bahl and Padmini Kolhapure.
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker.
What works: The battle scene.
What doesn't: Ashutosh Gowariker's lopsided view.
Number of weeks: 2.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Commando 3
Cast: Vidyut Jamwal, Adah Sharma and Gulshan Devaiah.
Director: Aditya Datt.
What works: Gulshan Davaiah, as the diabolical, megalomaniacal terrorist
What doesn't: Vidyut Jamwal's acting skills.
Number of weeks: 3.
Box Office verdict: Above average.
Hotel Mumbai
Cast: Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, Armie Hammer, Suhail Nayyar, Amardeep Singh.
Director: Anthony Maras.
What works: Riveting.
What doesn't: It's a gripping depiction but it could have been a lot more.
Number of weeks: 3.
Box Office verdict: Below Average.
Yeh Saali Aashiqui
Cast: Vardhan Puri, Shivaleeka Oberoi.
Director: Cherag Ruparel.
What works: Many twists and turns in the plot.
What doesn't: Too many loopholes in the script.
Number of weeks: 3.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Pagalpanti
Cast: Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Saurabh Shukla, Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda, Ileana D'Cruz, Urvashi Rautela.
Director: Anees Bazmee.
What works: Nothing!
What doesn't: Very low standard of comedy.
Number of weeks: 4.
Box Office verdict: Flop.
Marjaavaan
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh, Tara Sutaria, Rakul Preet Singh.
Director: Milap Zaveri.
What works: Full-on masala movie.
What doesn't: Outdated film-making, stale imagination, hysterically hamming actors.
Number of weeks: 5.
Box Office verdict: Average.
Vinod Mirani is a veteran pundit on the Bollywood box office.
