Mumbai: Beating back boycott calls, Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan is set for the biggest opening for any Hindi film with 4.19 lakh tickets sold till Tuesday and 80 per cent occupancy on day one, even for early morning shows beginning at 6 am or 7 am, say industry insiders.
The film, which releases across 5,000 screens on Wednesday, could well signal a happy 2023 for an industry grappling with crippling losses following the Covid pandemic and a string of box office duds. The ticket surge is being seen in multiplexes, single screen theatres and also in the south.
The film is going to take a historic start at the box office with opening day collections of Rs 45 crore to Rs 50 crore. The box office revival will begin with Pathaan, especially looking at its advance booking. This is very rare. And tomorrow is a working day," said trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
The Yash Raj Films production, which marks Shah Rukh's return as a hero after 2018's Zero, will get a five-day extended opening weekend as it releases the day before Republic Day. The advances of Pathaan have exceeded all expectations, added Kamal Gianchandani, president of the Multiplex Association of India.
It's a foregone conclusion that tomorrow's opening would be the biggest for any Hindi film," he said. "There have been early morning shows before but the excitement for Pathaan is unprecedented with cinema halls in various cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon, opening for a 6 am or a 7 am show," he said. "It will be a record-breaking opening tomorrow. It is tough to put a number. KGF 2 Hindi version had minted Rs 52.5 crore, this will exceed that," he estimated.