STREE 2 SET FOR A HUMONGOUS OPENING; WILL THE ‘OVERFLOW’ FACTOR HELP VEDAA, KHEL KHEL MEIN?
The mega clash between Stree 2, Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein will take place tomorrow, August 15. However, it seems like Stree 2 is miles ahead while the other two would suffer as the former has turned out to be a much bigger opposition than anticipated.
Stree’s first part opened at Rs. 6.62 crores and went on to collect Rs. 124.56 crores in its lifetime. Stree 2, meanwhile, would open between Rs. 35-40 crores and can even go higher. It also has paid previews today from 9:30 pm where it can earn Rs. 7 crores plus. This means that it’ll break the 11-year record of Chennai Express. The Shah Rukh Khan starrer was the highest-paid preview grosser, collecting Rs. 6.75 crores.
Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein, meanwhile, are facing the heat. Usually, it happens that during a clash, the weaker film benefits when the overflow audience from the main film throngs to see the latter. It means that if the audience doesn’t get a ticket to the most exciting film, they’ll settle for the second option. OMG 2 benefited this way during the clash with Gadar 2. Even Sam Bahadur got an edge when it was released alongside Animal.
But both OMG 2 and Sam Bahadur had advantages. OMG 2’s first part was much loved. The controversy over its cuts had enhanced curiosity. Sam Bahadur’s trailer got a good response and since Animal was ‘A’ rated, the family audience preferred the Vicky Kaushal-starrer. Sadly, Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein don’t have such advantages. The trailers of both films have got just a fair response while the songs in both the movies haven’t worked. Stree 2, meanwhile, has a lot of factors going in its favour – from the brand value to songs to outstanding trailer to the lucrative horror comedy genre.
Hence, the demand for Stree 2 is too high and it’s difficult to say if viewers would opt for Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein in case the former’s shows are full as the excitement for the latter is very limited. Vedaa is ahead and will collect around Rs. 7 crores while Khel Khel Mein would have an opening of around Rs. 6 crores. Since films tend to overperform on Independence Day, these two films can have a higher number as well.
Despite the poor opening, Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein still stand a chance. This is because the holiday period extends till Monday, August 19. Even Monday, August 26 is a holiday due to Janmashtami. Hence, the two long weekends are enough for these films to sail through, provided the word of mouth is positive. If the reports are bad, then it’ll prove detrimental.