Not much was expected from ‘Kuttey’, the first major Bollywood release of 2023. Yet, its dismal opening and lack of jump in collections did give a shock. The word of mouth was extremely mixed and moreover, it looked like a niche product. As a result, it’ll collect only around Rs. 3-3.25 Crore in week 1. Though the coming weekend is open, it’ll not be advantageous for the film.
The South films ‘Varisu’ and ‘Thunivu’, meanwhile did very well though due to the clash, the collections got affected for both. ‘Varisu’ also saw a release in Hindi and the collections were underwhelming but it’s better than that of ‘Kuttey’. It is set to collect Rs. 6 Crore in week 1 and its lifetime collections will be around Rs. 10 Crore.
Today, two major films released. One is ‘Akhanda’s Hindi version. The original Telugu version was released on December 2, 2021 and emerged as a smashing hit as its word of mouth was supremely positive. However, just like most South dubbed films, it is releasing with very minimal awareness. The hope is that it’ll grow with positive word of mouth and even sustain the ‘Pathaan’ wave. The first day collections should be around Rs. 50-75 Lakhs and might cross the Rs. 1 Crore mark. If Hindi audiences also love the film, the film can see a huge jump on Saturday.
The other release is the Hollywood animated film, ‘Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’. Due to limited films in cinemas, it has got a very wide release. The collections can be strong in certain cities during the weekend.
Meanwhile, the collections on Friday, January 20, are expected to be encouraging as all theatres are celebrating Cinema Lovers Day. As part of the celebrations, prices of all shows would be just Rs. 99. The IMAX tickets are priced in the range of Rs. 199 and Rs. 299. Films like ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ (2022) and the Marathi film ‘Ved’ (2022), starring Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, have got maximum bookings followed by ‘Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’ and the Marathi film ‘Vaalvi’.
Lastly, the advance booking of ‘Pathaan’ has taken a flying start. It has already sold 1 lakh tickets for the opening day. If all goes well, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer will emerge as one of the biggest openers of all time. We’ll discuss this aspect in detail in the next edition of Bollywood Talk.
