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Kubrick's Film Gets Clobbered -- At the Box Office

Arthur J Pais

As scores of Hindus offended at the use of Bhagvad Gita chants in an orgy scene in Stanley Kubrick's acclaimed film, Eyes Wide Shut, plotted over the weekend strategies to get the movie's producer Warner Bros to alter the soundtrack, the movie got clobbered -- by the mainstream audiences.

After debuting at number one last weekend with about $22 million, Kubrick's final film movie plummeted by 54 pc, grossing $9.9 million and ending up fourth among the week's top 10 films.

The film, an intriguing and non-sensational study of erotic secrets, passions and jealousies in a marriage, is not appealing to the mainstream audiences, now that the word is out that the sex scenes involving Tom Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman are not titillating.

Hindu groups angry at the movie could derive some satisfaction that the film is now expected to end up with a modest $65 million, one of the lowest grossing Cruise films. Meanwhile, some of the leftist academics are hitting back at the detractors of the film, accusing them of cultural fascism.

"Kubrick has always been known to make films that are not for mass consumption," notes Gitesh Pandya of Boxofficeguru Website, "But instead, for those with discriminating tastes thus narrowing their commercial appeal"

If the box-office decline continues at a dramatic pace, the movie may disappear in about three weeks, to resurface again at Oscar nomination time, by the beginning of next year.

"In that case, we better make sure our voices are heard and Warner Bros will do something about the offending scenes," said Hasmukh Patel, a New York businessman. "The movie, I believe, has not opened abroad. So let us work fast." Warner Bros has refused to be drawn into the controversy but by the middle of this week, it might have to respond to hundreds of e-mails and other messages the activists are threatening to send.

Meanwhile, the continuing discussion about the film at the website of South Asian Journalists Association brought a sharp rebuke from an academic.

"Look SAJA-ers, this is so puerile and repetitive. This inane sensitivity of using the Gita for a film scene... Have you never heard of poetic licence?" asked Veena Oldenburg. "This culture police bit is awful; it is the beginning of fascism and stop before your minds blur and expect perfect decorum from everyone everywhere. Shanti."

Gaurang Desai, one of the many who is angry at the film, is not impressed by the argument about the artistic license.

"Protest is an art too," he said.

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