WILL THE NEW RELEASES ALSO BRING CHEER TO THE INDUSTRY?
Last week’s Shaitaan has emerged as a big hit. It was expected to open well but very few could predict pre-release that it would collect Rs. 15 crores on the first day. The collections got a boost due to the Mahashivratri holiday and yet, the collections didn’t fall or remain the same on Saturday. The film collected Rs. 19 crores and Rs. 20.50 crores on the second and third day respectively. The Monday drop was normal – Rs. 7.50 crores. The film is expected to collect around Rs. 80 crores in its first week and depending on the performance in the subsequent weeks, the lifetime earnings can be in the range of Rs. 125 crores and Rs. 145 crores. For a mid-sized film, these collections are extraordinary.
All eyes now are on the three major releases tomorrow, two in Hindi and one in English. The biggest release is Yodha, starring Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani. It is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and is a hijack drama. The film was shot way back in 2021-22 and was scheduled to release in September 2023 and later December. Due to overcrowding, it moved to March 15. The trailer was launched two weeks back mid-air in a grand fashion. The promo is interesting while the songs are decent. But the excitement among the public is minimal and they would adopt the wait-and-watch strategy. Hence, the opening won’t be huge and would be around Rs. 4-5 crores. It might go higher if moviegoers come out in huge numbers in the evening and night shows. It’ll need a positive word of mouth to grow on the weekdays and sustain.
Bastar – The Naxal Story reunites The Kerala Story team – actor Adah Sharma, producer Vipul Shah and director Sudipto Sen. It is about the Naxalite movement and how it has wreaked havoc in the country. The trailer is quite disturbing. The Kerala Story also promised a lot of uncomfortable moments and this factor appealed to the audience. But the same kind of curiosity is missing with The Kerala Story. Due to negligible buzz, it has got very limited shows. The opening will be around Rs. 1 crore and the makers can hope for a terrific word of mouth so that it gets a good jump from Saturday.
Finally, Kung Fu Panda 4 will also see a release tomorrow. It is a successful animation franchise and probably the second biggest in India after Frozen 2. Kung Fu Panda 3 had a very delayed release in India and yet, it collected Rs. 32 crores. This stunned the industry since animated films rarely do well in the country. Hence, the expectations are immense from Kung Fu Panda 4 and the advance ticket sales are also healthy. Kung Fu Panda 3 opened at Rs. 2.10 crores and the fourth part’s day 1 collection might surpass this figure.