New Delhi: ‘Pathaan’, starring Shah Rukh Khan, is one of the year’s most anticipated movies, and anticipation is only growing as the release day is tomorrow. Since Pathaan’s release date is not a holiday, the success of the movie is entirely dependent on word of mouth. If the first day’s prediction proves to be true, Shah Rukh’s movie would surpass Rs 40 crores on the opening day.
It has already garnered approximately Rs 14 crore from advance booking. Latest reports from trade analyst Taran Adarsh suggest that the film is projected to make between Rs 40 and Rs 50 crore on its opening day.
Based on the reception, anticipation for the release is great. It appears like ‘Pathaan’ is on track to surpass War’s record for the largest opening day collection for a Bollywood movie. It could possibly break the record for the biggest opening of all time for a Hindi film, surpassing the gross of Rs. 54 crores set by ‘KGF Chapter 2’. But it can only occur if the final two days of advanced booking and spot booking are successful.
‘Pathaan’ also has a shot of surpassing Baahubali 2’s box office totals. Bollywood Hungama reports that ‘Baahubali 2’ has the highest opening day for a non-holiday movie, with Rs 41 crores. More than Rs 41 crores would put ‘Pathaan’ ahead of ‘Baahubali 2’ in terms of box office earnings.
The news of a sequel to ‘Pathaan’ has also been rumoured. According to a source close to ETimes, “The team of Pathaan has begun writing the sequel to the film and like the Tiger films, the story will travel to various countries.”
Moreover, Salman Khan is said to be reprising his role from the Tiger films in a cameo appearance in ‘Pathaan’. Whether or not the rumours are real will not be known until the ‘Pathaan’ release. Directed by ‘WAR’ fame Sidharth Anand, the film’s advance booking began on January 20 and the film has already created so much buzz with the advance booking numbers.