WILL THE FOUR RELEASES FIND AUDIENCE THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH?
Last week’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai has underperformed, but the weekday trend is decent. The film has collected Rs. 31.95 crores in 5 days and if it can hit the Rs. 50 crore mark in its lifetime, it’ll be a fair result. However, it’ll be a challenge to do so due to several releases this Friday.
The biggest release of the week is Main Vaapas Aaunga, directed by Imtiaz Ali. It stars Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina, Sharvari and Naseeruddin Shah and tells the story of a man who had to migrate due to Partition. Imtiaz is known for having two tracks running parallel. Main Vaapas Aaunga uses that template, yet it differs from the Love Aaj Kal movies.
However, since it looks like a niche film, the excitement is limited among a section of the audience. The music sadly hasn’t worked as intended. As a result, the opening will be low, around Rs. 2-3 crores. But the film has the potential to grow dramatically from Saturday, if reports are positive.
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata has Kangana Ranaut playing the role of a nurse in the 26/11 terror attacks. The trailer is quite nail-biting, but since hype is limited, an opening of Rs. 1 crore is expected.
The same goes for Governor, starring Manoj Bajpayee. Though it tells a fascinating story from the pages of history, the material is such that it won’t immediately excite the audience. Both films will need good word-of-mouth to make an impact.
Finally, Haunted – Echoes Of The Past is the second part of the Haunted series. Like the first part, it stars Mimoh Chakraborty, is directed by Vikram Bhatt and will release in 3D. A film like this appeals to the masses. However, the trailer seems to have many AI visuals, which have been criticized. Shockingly, the promotion is very low-key.
Yet, it might surprise and open better than Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata and Governor. Vikram’s last horror film, 1920: Horrors Of The Heart (2023), opened at Rs. 1.40 crore and that should be the aim of Haunted – Echoes Of The Past as well.