The film is likely to draw crowds especially from among people who were observing Ramzan and will be out to celebrate Eid. However, the south will see a clutch of news films expected to do well.
“Between the two new films, Heropanti 2 is looking slightly better given that it’s following the commercial, action film template that is working big time post covid. There is, however, no buzz around Runway 34 and it’s unlikely to see any traction unless it turns out to be an extraordinary film with great word-of-mouth," said independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan. He said that theatres are relying on KGF: Chapter 2 to draw crowds, especially among the young, Muslim clientele in Bihar, West Bengal, central and eastern Uttar Pradesh that takes to hardcore, action films easily.
The absence of a Salman Khan blockbusters is making for a dull Eid in the north, agreed Atul Mohan, editor of trade magazine Complete Cinema. Mohan doesn’t see the two new Bollywood offerings together making even half the opening day collections that a Khan film does on its own. In the past, the actor has notched up impressive first day earnings with hits like Bharat ( ₹41.62 crore), Sultan ( ₹36.59 crore) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan ( ₹26.67 crore), all of which released on Eid.
Yet film industry analysts said theatres could bank on KGF 2 to draw crowds to cinemas. The film has sold 14 million tickets on ticketing site BookMyShow, second only to war epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Besides, the south Indian movie calendar for the week looks promising with Jana Gana Mana (Malayalam) helmed by Prithviraj Sukumaran; Nayanthara-starrer Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kadhal (Tamil); Telugu film Acharya starring Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan. Rajendar Singh Jyala, chief programming officer at INOX Leisure Ltd., said while Acharya may not have been dubbed for Hindi-speaking audiences, it is a big enough draw for its home state.
Satwik Lele, chief operating officer at Mukta A2 Cinemas, said any festive period is a boon for the media and entertainment space, with much planning going on before deciding on dates. In the past, there have been films like War (2019), that released on Gandhi Jayanti, and benefited from a five-day extended weekend with opening day collections of ₹53 crore alone.
Like any other festival, the Eid weekend has always brought together families and friends over their shared love for entertainment at the theatre, said Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer-cinemas, at ticketing site BookMyShow. “In the past few years, while Eid weekends have largely seen the release of Salman Khan-helmed movies garnering successful box office runs, the pandemic year releases had taken a slight backseat owing to strict guidelines set in place for the out-of-home entertainment industry. With occupancy limitations being lifted, we have already seen a stellar start to 2022 with the first quarter surpassing industry expectations, and this upcoming Eid weekend will continue to uphold the trend delivering great results and strongly contributing to the recovery curve of the movie-entertainment industry," Saksena said.
