The frenzy over the pre-order collection of Shah Rukh Khan’s comeback movie Pathaan has taken a blow to the arm of Bollywood. Produced by Yash Raj Films, this movie is his one of the most awaited Hindi films of the year. We’ve already broken some pandemic-era records for pre-booking, and now we’re looking to break business day and weekend records as well. Industry experts are bullish about his movie opening being one of the best in Bollywood history.
Pre-orders for the film, which started four days ago, are filling up ahead of its release on 25 January. We’ve already broken the best pre-booking record. International advance bookings are already breaking records in many regions such as Germany and the Middle East.
There is also a response, and expectations will increase from the release. His Sacnilk on trade tracker predicts that Pathaan could make a net profit of around Rs 50 crore in India on the first day. Other trade experts say that number could be a little higher as well. If that’s true, Pathaan is set to break Bollywood movie War’s record for the best opening day collection (Rs 53.35 crore). You can also pip KGF Chapter 2 (Rs 54 crore) to register the best opening in Hindi movies. But for that to happen, his last two days of pre-booking and spot booking need to be strong. The latter relies almost entirely on word of mouth, given that Pathaan’s release date isn’t festive.
What’s encouraging for Pathaan is that it’s releasing on Wednesday, with Republic Day on Thursday, and offering an extended opening weekend of five days. Already, Thursday’s pre-orders in India have him above Rs 1.2 crore, indicating that his second day will be huge even for the Shahrukh star. Trade analyst Girish Johar told the Indian Express that the film is likely to earn 200 million rupees from his 1.75 billion rupees in the domestic market in his first five days, “all over the world.” He can easily collect Rs 350 crore.” Sacnilk also put Pathaan’s opening weekend in his Rs 200 crore net, based on current trends.
Due to the high demand for tickets, film exhibitors started showing early in the morning (6am) in the first week, which is rarely seen in Hindi cinema. Pathaan is part of his YRF Spy Universe from Yash Raj Films, which brings together characters from the Tiger series and War. Directed by Siddharth Anand, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone also play key roles.
