KATHMANDU: Box office collections of Nepali films have been declining in recent months.
Eight Nepali films are currently being screened across the country: Paran, Gobar Ganesh, Jharipachhiko Indreni, Viral Gorkhe, Mirmire, Pariwartan, Aa Bata Aama, and The Blue Light. Of these, the collections of Aa Bata Aama and The Blue Light, released this Friday, are not available yet, as the Nepal Film Development Board (NFDB) makes box office data available only after a week of release.
According to figures published on Monday, the overall business of Nepali films has been weakening in recent weeks. Even films that were expected to perform well have failed to attract audiences, while some have been pulled down within just two weeks of release.
Paran has remained the top-grosser so far this year (Bikram Sambat calendar) if box office figures released by the NDFB are anything to go by. Released on October 31, the film has grossed Rs 178.4 million so far with more than 633,000 tickets sold over the past three months. Directed by Deepak Prasad Acharya, the emotional drama about migrant children and aging parents has received a positive response from moviegoers.
Foreign releases, however, have been doing brisk business in Nepal. The latest Bollywood release, Border 2, which hit the screens on January 23, has already collected Rs 21.93 million.
Other films, however, lag far behind. Gobar Ganesh has collected Rs 13.6 million since January 15, while Jharipachhiko Indreni, in theatres since December 19, has earned Rs 12.8 million. More recent releases have fared worse. Viral Gorkhe has collected just Rs 3.6 million, Mirmire has grossed Rs 3.39 million, and the action film Pariwartan has raised just Rs 3.1 million from the market.
Foreign releases, however, have been doing brisk business in Nepal. The latest Bollywood release, Border 2, which hit the screens on January 23, has already collected Rs 21.93 million. Likewise, another Bollywood film, Dhurandhar, which released on December 5, has raised Rs 103.74 million from Nepal. Similarly, Hollywood release Avatar: Fire and Ash has collected Rs 66.75 million since its release on December 19.
