Last year when theatres reopened in a big way with Sooryaanshi, there was a lot to rejoice for Bollywood and the distribution/exhibition circle. Despite restrictions around 50% occupancy and general fear amongst the audiences to step into theatres, the Akshay Kumar-Rohit Shetty film opened to Rs. 26.29 crores at the box office. It was an excellent number and signalled loud and clear that cinema experience was set to stay. Little did it indicate though that primarily this was about the big screen entertainment and smaller films will have to struggle.
Circa 2022 and that has pretty much been proven, what with majority of mid and small budget movies not even managing to cross Rs. 15 crores lifetime with the only major exception been The Kashmir Files which went on to be a Rs. 200 Crore Club blockbuster. Not just that as some of the biggest movies turned out to be mega disappointments as well at the box office. Both Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, who are coming with their Ram Setu and Thank God respectively, have seen that up, close and personal. Sidharth Malhotra scored an OTT hit though with Shershaah.
Now that both these movies are arriving a day after Diwali, all eyes are on how big would they end up opening. As of now it looks like there won't be much separating the two films, though Ram Setu may just sprint ahead a little by a couple of crores as it is catering primarily to the multiplex audience while Thank God would have better traction at single screen theatres, where ticket prices are lower. In terms of footfalls though, both films could be very similar.
What has to be seen though is the sheer volume of footfalls that would be seen this Tuesday. By the look of things, when it comes to the combined sales of Ram Setu and Thank God, they may well fall short by a couple of crores and be somewhere in Rs. 23-25 crores range. Somehow, the hype that peaks a film to an 'event' status isn't really there due to which both the biggies would have to eventually rely on word of mouth. Still, as long as both of these manage a double digit score, at least they would be in for a chance to keep collecting over the long week.
from Box Office Special Features - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/C0jEz9d
via hungFea1