It’s going to be a windfall for the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan on the very first day. Till about 10 days back, the film was tracking at around Rs. 40 crores. However the manner in which the advance booking has been gathering pace, there is a very good possibility that the film will see its business exceed Rs. 42 cr at the box office.
That would be a big deal indeed since Wednesday is a working day and for Bollywood, the biggest non-holiday opening record was set by Brahmastra just a few months back when Rs. 37 crores were collected on the first day. The film had collected Rs. 37 crores but then it had released on Friday, which means it had a weekend advantage as evening and night shows were set to be quite good. Now Pathaan has an even bigger advantage since Republic Day falls the day after, which is a national holiday too, and hence this comfortably leads to Rs. 40 crores+ number.
Now the very factor which pitches the film from Rs. 40 crores into the Rs. 42 crores zone is the man called Shah Rukh Khan. Simply put, if Ranbir Kapoor can get such a huge total on a non-holiday then Shah Rukh Khan is simply in a league of his own. Yes, it’s now easy since the difference between Rs. 42 crores and Rs. 40 crores may seem less at Rs. 5 crores. However, as the stakes go higher up, the challenge is all the more to bridge that gap. This is what makes the whole advance booking factor to be so decisive in taking the film as far as the Rs. 42 crores mark.
There is one more factor that one needs to take into consideration. Brahmastra was rooted in Hindu mythology whereas the name Pathaan would entice a large segment of Muslim population as well. That would bring in further advantage, a huge one at that, for the Shah Rukh Khan starrer which will also have a much bigger penetration in the single screen arena. The stage is set for Pathaan to score and while anything between Rs. 40-42 crores would be a big deal too for the Sidharth Anand directed film, the eventual target would be Rs. 42 crores