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Will Tubelight brighten the box office in keeping with the records set by its lead actor Salman Khan’s earlier flicks, is the question trade analysts are asking on the opening day.
Khan, known to set the cash-machines ringing with his Eid-releases, may just have to wait for the extended weekend.
What is making the analysts question the early performance of the movie at the box office is the fact that it is not a typical chulbul pandey of Dabangg or a Bajrangi Bhaijan or the latest Sultan.
Set in the 1962 Sino-Indian war and an adaptation of the American film Little Boy , Tubelight is unlike the typical action or masala movie Khan has come to be known for.
The initial shows witnessed average occupancies on Friday being a non-holiday, besides it falling under the Ramzan period. But, multiplexes said the occupancies are expected to pick up during the evening and over the long holiday weekend. Multiplex players pointed out that the movie is expected to see much bigger footfalls on Sunday and Monday coinciding with the Eid celebrations.
Trade analyst Komal Nahta tweeted, “Tubelight start below expectations. Ramzan days are bad for the box office, but fact remains that collections were below (the) mark in morning and forenoon.”
PV Sunil, CEO and Director, Carnival Cinemas, said, “Initial shows have opened with an average occupancy because of Ramdan. But, evening shows will pick up on day one and Monday and Tuesday will have great footfalls.
As there are no big movies slated to be released this week as well as the next, its success is secure. We are expecting it to cross the ₹ 100 crore mark on Tuesday.”
Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas, also said that with the movie’s release timed for the long Eid holiday weekend, it is expected to see peak collections during the latter half of the long weekend.
Produced by Salman Khan and Kabir Khan, Tubelight has got the widest release for any Hindi movie. Shreyans Hirawat, MD, NH Studioz , the Indian distributor for the movie, said, “We have worked towards having as wide a release as possible and with 4,400 screens this is the biggest ever release at the Indian box office.” It is being distributed across an estimated 1,200 screens in international markets.
But, will Tubelight surpass the ₹300-crore mark at the Indian box office like Sultan ? Film trade expert Girish Johar said, “There are high expectations for a good weekend in terms of box office collections. Tubelight and Sultan are both different kinds of movies and cannot be numerically compared in terms of box office collections.”
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