UTV adds 20 prints of Metro in its second week

Mumbai, May 18 (UNI) 'Life...in a Metro', directed by Anurag Basu and produced by UTV Motion Pictures has garnered a total gross box office of Rs 6.5 crore in four days of its release.

In a strategic coup in the distribution space, UTV released the film with 163 prints across India on May 11. This kept demand at all-time high levels and the positive word of mouth led UTV to increase prints in the second week, UTV sources said here today.

This is the second back-to-back release (The Namesake was the first), where UTV has increased the number of prints in the second week based on word of mouth publicity and good reviews.

Sources said the movie saw a 40 per cent jump in collections on Saturday as compared to Friday followed by a 66 per cent hike on Sunday compared to Friday. In an industry where the average drop in collections on Monday is as high as 40 per cent, 'Metro' recorded a drop of less than 20 percent. In the UAE, the film got an opening of 1,09,723 USD, higher than blockbusters like Taxi 9211 and Bluffmaster.

Says Suniel Wadhwa, Associate Vice President, India Distribution of UTV Motion Pictures, ''We were confident of the product and knew that word of mouth and reviews would create a huge demand post release. Our strategy of releasing limited prints and generating high demands for the film ensured that we would have audiences clamouring for tickets, which would help keep the film buoyant and in demand for a sustained period.'' Siddharth Roy Kapur, Executive Vice President - Marketing, Distribution and Syndication says, ''We decided to turn conventional wisdom on its head, by spending as much as the cost of production on the publicity campaign worldwide. This has helped a great film get the interest and awareness it deserves, and has ensured that it achieves its full potential.'' UNI