The month of July was mostly dominated by Hollywood films. ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’, which was released on June 29, was the last major release from Bollywood. And now, the lull will end with the release of ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. The film releases tomorrow, July 28 and there’s considerable excitement for the film due to various reasons.
To begin with, it is directed by Karan Johar. This is his seventh directorial venture and coincidentally, it’s releasing in the year when he completes 25 years as a director. It has an ensemble cast, comprising Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi. The film’s teaser was cut solely on the background score and the song “Tum Kya Mile”. The song became a rage from the teaser itself. The makers then released the song after which the trailer was unveiled. The trailer gave a fair idea about the film’s plot. What is appealing is also that the film looks like a clean family entertainer and is mounted on a huge scale. Hence, it can be an ideal flick to be watched in cinemas.
However, the film has faced challenges. Except for “Tum Kya Mile”, none of the songs have worked as intended. Even with “Tum Kya Mile”, a few people had reservations about the not-so-electrifying chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. The advance booking hasn’t been upto the mark and this is chiefly because the music score is not enticing enough for the audience. Many are opting for a wait-and-watch strategy.
There have been reports of block bookings happening for ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. It has raised eyebrows but these bookings will help the film get a double-digit opening. ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ is expected to open at Rs. 11-12 Crore. It’ll release in more than three thousand screens. On the other hand, Karan Johar’s last directorial ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ (2016) opened at 2850 screens, clashed with ‘Shivaay’ (2016) and came on the dry pre-Diwali Friday. Yet, it had an opening of Rs. 13.04 Crore. It remains to be seen if ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ manages to open better than the Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma-starrer. From the bookings, it seems doubtful. But if the word of mouth is positive and it spreads faster, the footfalls can increase by tomorrow evening. Also, if the reports are encouraging, it can see a huge jump on Saturday.
If all goes well, the weekend earnings of ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ can be around Rs. 55-60 Crore. It has no competition until August 11. Hence, it has the potential to collect in the range of Rs. 75-90 Crore in the first week. It is in the same zone as the romcom, ‘Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar’ (2023), which was released earlier this year and starred Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor. It had lifetime earnings of Rs. 128.12 Crore. ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ should target a lifetime that should be better than that of this rom-com.
