After a suspense of more than six months that whether ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Dilwale’ would indeed release on the same date, the picture got clearer a month back when the publicity material of both the films called out December 18. Till around a fortnight back one just wondered if makers of one of the two films would have a change of mind and instead opt for December 25 holiday release. However, it was not to be as it was crystal clear for all involved with the two films that it is indeed going to be December 25.
Well, the big day is not just a few hours away and it is time for audience to step in for the double bonanza. All said and done, it is going to be fireworks in theaters since Bajirao Mastani as well as Dilwale are two of the hottest films to arrive this year. It is also the battle amongst equals and since both films are in hardcore mainstream commercial space, it makes it all the more interesting for the audience.
Thankfully, it won’t be the case of ‘picking and choosing’ as for a true Bollywood fan, there is a lot in the offering from the classy space of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the massy world of Rohit Shetty. Yes, there are factors like piracy which would set in and while that is something that is only getting worse with every passing week, the marketing effort has been pumped up all the more to ensure that both the films take a rollicking start to counter that.
All of that means that Bollywood is set to have its biggest day ever once ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Dilwale’ hit the screens. These two would be practically the only films running in town as the distributors and exhibitors have gone all out to give ample space to the Eros and Red Chillies productions. The two films would be running across more than 5000 screens across the country, which means there is potential for the sum total of collections to be in the upwards of Rs. 500 million.
However, since the films are releasing on a non-holiday, it would be fair to expect combined collections of two films on the opening day to be between Rs. 350 million – 400 million. This is how the record holders look like currently and it is pretty much on the cards that while individually ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Dilwale’ won’t quite reach there, together they certainly would, hence bringing a smile back on the face of exhibitors.
Top 3 opening day of non-holiday releases
· ‘Dhoom 3’ – Rs. 362.2 million
· ‘Chennai Express’ – Rs. 331 million
· ‘PK’ – Rs. 270 million
Top 3 opening day of holiday releases
· ‘Happy New Year’ – Rs. 426 million
· ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ – Rs. 403.5 million
· ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ – Rs. 330 million
Note: All collections as per production and distributor sources
