How much would have Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Good Luck Jerry and Alia Bhatt-starrer Darlings earned at the box office? Trade gives its verdict

Since the start of the pandemic, we came up with multiple articles wherein we asked trade experts how much the digital films would have earned at the box office had there been no lockdown and had these films been released in cinemas. After a tremendous response to each of our stories, we are now back with a similar exercise

NOTE – The box office data presented is for India box office only

This time, we speak about Janhvi Kapoor-starrer Good Luck Jerry and Alia Bhatt-starrer Darlings. Good Luck Jerry tells the story of a poor girl who is forced to enter the world of drugs and crime to fund her mother’s cancer treatment. Directed by Siddharth Sen, it was produced by Aanand L Rai and Mahaveer Jain and also starred Deepak Dobriyal, Meeta Vashisht, Sushant Singh and Jaswant Singh Dalal. Around mid-June, it was announced that it’ll be released directly on digital. Good Luck Jerry premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on July 29, 2022.

Probable Theatrical Box Office Lifetime: Rs. 10 to 15 crores

If Good Luck Jerry had been released in cinemas, it would have taken a poor start, as is the unfortunate trend nowadays. The film would have enjoyed good word of mouth due to Janhvi Kapoor’s performance, the funny and wicked moments and the script. However, due to the second half being not up to the mark as well as the urban appeal, its business would have been restricted.

Darlings, meanwhile, also featured Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Roshan Matthew, and told the story of a woman who hits back at her abusive husband with the help of her mother-in-law and a well-wisher. It marked the debut of Jasmeet K Reen as a feature film director and Alia as a producer. Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment was the co-producer. Since the start, it was speculated that Darlings is going to be a direct digital release. In May 2022, Netflix announced its plan to premiere it directly on its platform. Darlings was then released on Netflix on August 5, 2022.

Probable Theatrical Box Office Lifetime: Rs. 20 to 25 crores

The opening of Darlings wouldn’t have been huge but would have been better than that of Good Luck Jerry. This is mainly due to Alia Bhatt’s star power and because she enjoys the trust of the audiences. But the film was a niche entertainer, unlike Alia’s last film, Gangubai Kathiawadi. Also, due to the Mumbai flavour, the audiences in the North would not have been able to connect, as has been often seen in the past. Hence, the business would have come majorly from multiplexes and through the Mumbai circuit.

Trade Verdict:

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “I don’t think Good Luck Jerry would have worked. I liked the first half of the film. In the second half, I liked till the part wherein the characters speak in sign languages. After that, the climax, where all the characters assemble and attack each other, is when the film became a khichdi. And the impact created by the previous portions got evaporated. Hence, it’s best that it came on OTT.”

He added, “Janhvi Kapoor has done really well. However, this was an ideal OTT experience. It was a wise experience to not bring it to cinemas.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan stated, “Good Luck Jerry would have appealed to the multiplex audiences. The numbers wouldn’t have been huge though as the script was a little flawed. It would have done a business of around Rs. 10 crores.”

As for Darlings, Taran Adarsh opined, “I feel a film like Darlings could have been brought in cinemas because Alia Bhatt is a star. Of course, it wouldn’t have gotten a wide release like Gangubai Kathiawadi but on a smaller level, it would have arrived in cinemas. Darlings being Alia’s immediate release after Gangubai Kathiawadi would have helped.”

Atul Mohan said, “Darlings was better in terms of storytelling and performances. It would have appealed mainly to the Mumbai audiences the most due to the local setting. It would have got sufficient shows in evening and nighttime.”

He also felt that the female audiences would have lapped it up, “The women would have loved especially when Alia teaches her husband a lesson in the second half.” He also agreed that “Gangubai Kathiawadi advantage would have helped.”

When asked how much it would have collected in cinemas, Atul Mohan replied, “It would have collected around Rs. 15 crores lifetime,” keeping in mind its niche appeal.

Finally, Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst, felt that both Good Luck Jerry and Darlings would have bombed at the ticket window, “When big stars are not surviving at the box office, I doubt Good Luck Jerry and Darlings would have had a chance. Both are very urban and upmarket films and had limited audience appeal. Seeing the present scenario, I doubt it would have made a mark.”

He also refused to buy the point that Darlings would have had an advantage since Alia Bhatt’s last film had crossed the Rs. 100 crores mark, “Gangubai Kathiawadi was a big-cinema spectacle due to the way Sanjay Leela Bhansali presented it. It was an Alia Bhatt film but at the end of the day, it was Bhansali magic that worked.”