When big films or ‘biggies’ arrive, a lot of conversation around hype, quality of assets, music etc takes place but eventually boils down to the box office clout. Box Office has a lot to do with a film’s appeal, genre, marketing and in North India it has a lot to do with the trailer. And yes, its also the star-power on display. Times have changed, and it is seen that today directors have become brands. This was there when feature films were invented in India but then after that, everything was about actors and their stardom. This luxury is now there with the 90s stars and a handful of other actors but will soon be with content and directors. These are the signs and you never know if the audience creates a new superstar.
Top Advance Booking in Hindi Markets
Getting back to the topic, we will take a look at the top advances for the weekend, for the opening day and also predict Pushpa 2 The Rule Advance booking expectations.
Here is a list of Top Advances in Hindi Belt for the opening weekend (in Nett)
1. Jawan Rs 55.50 crore
2. Pathaan Rs 55 crore
3. KGF Chapter 2 Rs 42.50 crore
4. Animal Rs 41.50 crore
6. Stree 2 Rs 35.50 crore
7. Tiger 3 Rs 32 crore
8. Gadar 2 Rs 31 crore
9. War Rs 30 crore
10. Brahmastra Rs 28 crore
Out of these advances that you see above, the Shah Rukh Khan starrers scored the highest advance booking for Day 1 with Jawan at Rs 30 crore nett and Pathaan at near Rs 27 crore nett. Animal tried coming close with Rs 23.50 crore final advance for Day 1 and this was due to the phenomenal Trailer. Baahubali 2 The Conclusion remains ahead in terms of real gross value in 2017 and in terms of admits. Pushpa 2 The Rule is targeting the top three position with a 4-day weekend. So far, Pushpa 2 The Rule has crossed a huge Rs 7 crore nett advance for opening day at at this pace, the weekend must be at Rs 10 crore nett plus which is phenomenal. The opening day advance will be to the North of Rs 22 crore nett, will it cross Rs 30 crore nett advance for opening day? Well, we have to wait for that.
Top Advance Booking in Pvr, Inox, Cinepolis
Tracking the advance booking across multiplex chains, mainly the national chains (PVR, Inox, Cinepolis) gives a rough idea about opening day numbers of a film. Keeping an eye on the number of tickets sold for the first day, helps in estimating the final Day 1 numbers of a particular film.
Here is a list of number of tickets sold at national chains for Day 1 in the Advance Booking stage:
1. Baahubali 2 (Hindi) 6,50,000
2. Jawan 5,57,000
3. Pathaan 5,56,000
5. Animal 4,56,000
6. War 4,10,000
8. Thugs of Hindostan 3,46,000
9. Dhoom 3 3,42,000
10. Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo 3,40,000
11. Happy New Year 3,39,000
12. Bharat 3,16,000
13. Tiger 3 3,15,000
14. Sultan 3,10,000
15. Dangal 3,05,000
These are the approx. final numbers at midnight before the release day. In this list, the Stree 2 had paid-previews so the numbers for the paid-previews are not included. Stree 2 is around 5,65,000 if paid-previews are included. Baahubali 2 The Conclusion became the first and only film to score Rs 500 crore + nett. Right from 2017 to 2023, Baahubali 2 The Conclusion stood at the top as Highest Hindi nett film until Shah Rukh Khan starrers Pathaan and Jawan arrived. Though in gross terms, Baahubali 2 The Conclusion (Hindi) was at the top until the arrival of Stree 2 in 2024, thanks to the increased ticket prices because in terms of ticket sales, Baahubali 2 The Conclusion (Hindi) crossed 5 crore admits and in all India terms it’s a different story as Baahubali 2 The Conclusion is at more than 10 crore footfalls. Crossing 10 crore footfalls is a huge deal as only a Sholay level film can do that in its first run. Here, Pushpa 2 The Rule (Hindi) is targeting the top three spots by aiming to sell 1,00,000 tickets soon.
Advance Booking at Other Cinemas
There are chains like Rajhans and Moviemax which are also looking at record advances for Pushpa 2 The Rule. There are huge grossers that have done exceptional advance bookings at either chains or two out of four. But in case of Pushpa 2 The Rule, the final advance booking is going to be at record levels all across. KGF 2 is a film penetrated deep into the masses across North India and then came Gadar 2 and now Pushpa 2 The Rule will also be a rage in the crowded areas as predicted by us earlier. National Chains are heading towards 1,00,000 ticket sales with about 3 plus days to go whereas Moviemax is heading towards 5,000 ticket sales with 3.5 Days to go whereas Rajhans has already crossed 12,000 ticket sales with 3 plus days to go. 12,000+ tickets here means crossing the final advances of mega grossers like Pathaan, Jawan and RRR.
All India Advance Booking
Pushpa 2 The Rule Advance Booking has opened in limited locations on 30th November, 2024 and it is one of the biggest films of the year. Only four films have been able to cross the Rs 100 crore mark in its domestic advance booking for the opening weekend and those are Baahubali 2, KGF 2, RRR and Leo. Pushpa 2 The Rule pre-sales is also expected to be huge and will enter the prestigious club. Not just that, the film is set to score a Rs 100 crore plus final advance just for its opening day which itself is a blockbuster start. So far the film has crossed Rs 14 crore gross advance booking from India alone. The advance booking updates will be shared on Inside Box Office on a regular basis.
How are the Advances?
To put things together, Pushpa 2 The Rule is doing the unheard and the unseen. There are regions across North India that are not into advance booking. These mass circuits either pickup at the last moment or do not pick up at all due to walk ups or spot bookings. But in case of Pushpa 2 The Rule, those are the first to respond which explains the euphoria that is yet to come. Pushpa 2 The Rule has a set audience that is going to turn up even if the film released no assets. The only difference here is, if the assets or the songs were outstanding, then the audience would prefer watching it on the first day instead of watching it on Saturday or Sunday. But, they are going to watch it for sure. Hence, in North, the true potential multiplies if the assets are fire.
Expectations and Early Predictions
Going by the early pre-sales momentum, Pushpa 2 The Rule Overseas opening is heading towards $8M+. Till date only Leo, RRR and Baahubali 2 The Conclusion have opened with those numbers with Baahubali 2 crossing $10M way back in 2017. Pushpa 2 The Rule will target near Rs 70 crore opening overseas, which could go higher depending on the momentum and early talk from premiers.
Baahubali 2 The Conclusion is the only film from India to hit near 1 crore admits on Day 1 back in 2017 which is some benchmark that isn’t easy to touch. Pushpa 2 The Rule ticket prices are high and it is difficult to comprehend consumer behaviour but just for benchmarking, even if Pushpa 2 The Rule hits 50 lakh footfalls on opening day, it would mean crossing Rs 120 crore India gross. Hence even with very conservative projection, Rs 200 crore worldwide opening is locked. This is the worst-case scenario. The footfalls are going to much higher but the 50 lakh figure is just for you to understand the massive potential that Pushpa 2 The Rule has. Pushpa 2 The Rule is set to become the biggest opener from Indian cinema beating the likes of Baahubali 2 The Conclusion, RRR and Kalki 2898 AD. Stay Tuned to Inside Box Office for Reviews and Box Office Analysis.
