The directorial debut for Alia Bhatt and her co-starring performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi from Sanjay Leela Bhansali has earned mixed reviews from critics but it seems to be what audiences want. Initially earning $2 million dollars over the first weekend, this romantic drama about an ancient Indian woman who struggles with balancing her love for her family against a forbidden romance took in an additional $3 million on Monday ($4 million worldwide) followed by another $1 million dollar haul on Tuesday (Tuesday was an Indian holiday). Despite negative reviews, the film still stands strong at $6.33 million with six days of success since release.
Despite multiplexes being populated in metropolitan cities, Gangubai Kathiawadi has managed to maintain an average of 50% occupancy rates throughout evening show times; this trend most likely holds true for night shows as well. Recently, both the central government and Maharashtra lifted pandemic regulations which allowed theaters to display 100% occupancy (in 14 major cities) during performances after Thursday; this was sure to give Gangubai Kathiawadi a boost.
Now with nearly every theater displaying healthy crowds for all screenings up until the end of Friday – it was certain that the film would reap benefits. As of now, the total domestic net openings for Gangubai Kathiawadi were estimated at roughly $65 million dollars making it one of India’s top-grossing films so far – but there are high chances it will reach $100 million thanks to these changes.
