Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, has taken off to a fantastic start in advance ticket bookings throughout India. By Sunday noon, almost 50,000 tickets had been sold across the major cinemas – PVR, Inox and Cinepolis – making it one of the best selling Hindi films in a long while. The pre–bookings for Brahmastra have outdone all outright Hindi films since War’s release last year. This success is absolutely necessary if the film is going to get the recognition it deserves at the box office upon its opening day.
Glancing at India–wide bookings, Brahmastra has already sold over 65,000 tickets and the number is steadily climbing. This response from moviegoers has reinvigorated the Hindi film industry and now the content must live up to people’s anticipation. A Rs. 20-crore opening weekend is definite for Brahmastra but how far beyond this will it soar? We will have to wait and see!
It’s been nearly three years since a film was able to rake in Rs. 20 crore on a non-holiday – the last one being Dabangg 3, headlined by Salman Khan. Prior to the pandemic, this would have been seen as an inadequate figure; but with the dramatic shift in cinema economics over the past two years, it is now something to be celebrated. The only post-Dabangg 3 success that has attained this milestone is Sooryavanshi – amassing Rs. 26 crores during its massive release around Diwali time.
By the time Wednesday night arrives, Brahmastra is likely to set a new benchmark for an Indian film over the past two years in terms of its pre–release advances. Thursday will show us whether or not the momentum is going to carry through on Friday; right now it looks like that advance is higher than SS Rajamouli’s RRR in Hindi speaking regions, and even outdoing KGF 2 in terms of total turnout.
Brahmastra has gathered a collection of Rs. 2 crore in the national chain markets with an India–wide advance booking total of Rs. 2.50 crore on the opening day. With four days remaining until release, expectations are that the figures will soar further in the upcoming days.
