Animal vs Sam Bahadur: Ranbir Kapoor's action drama races ahead of Vicky Kaushal's biographical film in advance booking

Scheduled for release on December 1, 2023, the highly anticipated Bollywood films Animal and Sam Bahadur are poised to clash at the box office. Interestingly, Ranbir Kapoor's Animal has surged ahead in the initial advanced booking race, surpassing the bookings for Sam Bahadur featuring Vicky Kaushal.

Hyderabad: Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal and Vicky Kaushal's biographical film Sam Bahadur are all set to lock horns at the theatres on December 1. Movie buffs are in for an exciting weekend of action-packed entertainment as both movies will be released on the same day. Interestingly, Animal has surged ahead in the initial advanced booking race, surpassing the bookings for Sam Bahadur featuring Vicky Kaushal.

Leading the charge, Animal has already made an impressive mark on the box office for its advance ticket sales for day one. As per early estimates by industry tracker Sacnilk, the film has raked in Rs 13.95 crore against Sam Bahadur's advance collection of Rs 1.24 crore for its opening day. Produced by T-Series's Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar, Cine1 Studios' Murad Khetani, and Bhadrakali Pictures' Pranay Reddy Vanga, Animal is an ambitious production set for release in multiple languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Despite its "A" certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), advance booking for Animal opened to a phenomenal response. On Sunday alone, a total of 4,01,118 tickets were sold in Hindi, 99,917 in Telugu, and 1,511 in Tamil. Across all languages, including Malayalam and Kannada, a staggering 5,04,078 tickets have been booked for the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial.

On the other hand, Meghna Gulzar's directorial venture, Sam Bahadur, delves into the life of India's first Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw, and his pivotal role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and the liberation of Bangladesh. Prior to its release, Sam Bahadur has managed to secure over 38,556 tickets and collect Rs 1.24 crore for day one at the box office. The ensemble cast of the film includes Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and Neeraj Kabi.

Talking about Animal, apart from Ranbir Kapoor's remarkable portrayal of Arjun Singh, the film also features Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, and Rashmika Mandanna in crucial roles. The film's storyline revolves around the complex relationship between Arjun Singh and his father Balbir Singh, played by Anil Kapoor. Rashmika Mandanna portrays Ranbir's love interest, while Bobby Deol assumes the role of the film's chief antagonist.