Mumbai, Dec 3: Allu Arjun-starrer “Pushpa 2: The Rule” is expected to break all box office records on its opening day as trade experts and exhibitors believe the sequel will attract a footfall of over 50 to 60 lakh and a weekend number that may go beyond ` 150 crore.
According to online ticketing website BookMyShow, the movie has become the fastest movie to surpass the one million tickets sold on the platform, crossing previous records set by “Kalki 2898 AD”, “Bahubali 2” and “KGF 2”.
Gautam Dutta, CEO, Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX, said the sequel is already on its way to becoming a cult hit.
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“We are talking about weekend footfall in the range of about 50-60 lakh. We are looking at ‘Pushpa’ doing about ` 800-1000 crore (overall)… On the first day itself we should get around one million people coming. It is going to be like 10 Eden Gardens (Kolkata’s iconic stadium) full at PVR,” Dutta told PTI in an interview.
The film, like many hits from the south in recent years which have broken new grounds in Hindi speaking belt, is likely to cross over ` 60 crore on day one in the north and the crowd frenzy that its trailer launch attracted in Patna was only a glimpse of the buzz surrounding the release.
“Everybody has given a red carpet welcome to the films. Look at the marketing done by Allu Arjun, he didn’t go to metro cities, he went to Patna, to the east and smaller towns. So the maximum advance bookings have come from the eastern regions. These are all super trends. I just hope that it cuts through masses and classes. That’s the whole promise of the film,” Dutta added.
Starring Allu Arjun, the sequel follows the highly successful first part, “Pushpa: The Rise,” which released in 2021. The movie will be released across the globe on December 5 with dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Malayalam.
The original film, directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, was not only a commercial success, amassing over ` 300 crores in India, but also established a strong fan base that has only grown over the years.
According to Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow, metros like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Pune are leading in advance bookings.
“Anticipation for Pushpa 2: The Rule is at an all time high across both northern and southern markets, with distinct factors fuelling this excitement,” Saksena said.
Trade expert Taran Adarsh told PTI that despite the release day on December 5 being a working one, the audience response to the film is at its peak and many will catch the movie on the first day, first show.
“The advance sales are terrific. The box office collection will be historic; it will take a fabulous earth-shattering start all over India. If all goes well, it will be the biggest opening of Hindi cinema… It’s a working day, all fingers crossed. ‘Pushpa 1’ has created a ground for ‘Pushpa 2’, the love and adulation that the film has got over the years, on OTT and TV, is immense,” Adarsh said. (PTI)
