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Thugs of Hindostan , starring Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan together for the first time, may have raked in a record box-office collection on its Diwali opening, but the film faces a stern test of its popularity ahead.
Aided by the Diwali holiday period and a wide screen count, the action adventure film set a record for the highest opening day box office collections for a Hindi movie, earning ₹52.25 crore at the domestic box office.
However, trade analysts wonder if the film, which received mixed reviews, will continue to perform strongly at the box office beyond the extended holiday weekend.
The ₹52.25-crore earnings includes ₹1.50 crore from the Tamil and Telugu versions on Thursday. It beat the first-day collections of previous record holders, including Happy New Year , Bahubali-2 (Hindi collections) and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo .
Trade analyst Komal Nahta said, “The big opening-day collection is not a surprise, given that it was a much-anticipated big Diwali release. But opening-day collections do not define the success of a film and are just an initial indicator. Compared to the scale, canvas and budget of Thugs... , its box-office earnings will be a dampener, especially after the festival holiday period gets over. ”
Tough task ahead
Another analyst, Taran Adarsh, tweeted, “Historic Day 1 was expected, but the real test for Thugs of Hindostan begins today onwards… will have to maintain the pace over the weekend (Friday to Sunday) and also on weekdays to put up a massive total… wait and watch situation right now.”
However, multiplex players remained hopeful that the movie will continue with its strong performance at the box office. The Yash Raj Films production has been released on 5,000 screens across the country in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, and has also been released in IMAX and 4DX formats.
Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures, said, “It is not uncommon for mass commercial films to get mixed reviews from critics. It has seen an excellent opening. And despite the large number of screens and shows, the movie is seeing 80 per cent occupancy levels, which is a formidable number.”
PV Sunil, MD, Carnival Cinemas, said the movie has exceeded the expectations of trade experts by breaking all records for the biggest opening-day collections.
“Given the extended festive weekend, it is likely to surpass the biggest opening weekend as well. Monday can see some fall (in occupancies) based on reviews, but we expect it to continue doing well in the B and C centres,” he added.
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