Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal is turning the table for India box office after a dull show in the last two months of the December quarter of FY24.
While the December 1 release has been called one of the most violent and ugliest films ever in many film reviews, the new venture is tracking well both in the home market-- India as well as overseas in geographies like North America where it has become the third highest weekend Hindi grosser after Jawan and Pathaan.
"For Animal and Sam Bahadur, we have sold close to 3 million tickets over the weekend, registering more than two-thirds occupancies across the entire country for all shows, whether early morning or late night," said Gautam Dutta, Co-CEO, PVR INOX.
He added, "We are certain that both the movies will sustain this momentum for a few more weeks, thanks to their distinct content appeal. While Animal is a movie, made outright for the masses, with some terrific screenplay, Sam Bahadur is gaining terrific publicity due to the strong performances and a great story on an extraordinary personality."
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Animal opened with an all-language total of Rs 63 crore behind Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan which collected around Rs 72 crore on the first day of its release.
No impact of reviews
"There has been no impact of (negative) reviews on Animal. Reviews have no impact on commercial films. The film over the weekend collected Rs 350 crore globally at GBOC (gross box office collection) level. This is despite being non-holiday, no franchise and an adult film. We estimate Rs 200 crore more in the coming period but a lot depends on how the film tracks on weekdays," said Girish Johar, film producer and trade business analyst.
A theatre official pointed out that afternoon shows in Mumbai show promising booking numbers. "Animal looks very promising. Even for a Monday at around 1 PM show, bookings look strong. In Mumbai, 1:30 PM show in a premium property with ticket costing Rs 850 is 70-80 percent full, 2 PM show is almost 50 percent full and IMAX is 40 percent full for Animal," the official said.
He added that criticism has drawn a lot of attention making people to go watch the film in theatres. "It has attracted a lot of visibility because of the negative reviews same like Shahid Kapoor's blockbuster 2019 release Kabir Singh."
Animal started with 70 percent occupancy and over the weekend recorded 80-90 percent occupancy levels. The film is expected to do a lifetime business of Rs 350 crore in India alone.
"The success of Animal has reached extraordinary heights and the weekend box office is the proof of this. Miraj Cinemas secured a net collection of around Rs 7 crore in three days. This success extended beyond the weekend spectacle. On the first working day, Monday, the film had only a 20 to 25 percent decrease from the Friday opening, solidifying the movie's enduring appeal," said Amit Sharma, MD, Miraj Entertainment.
He added, "The current state of the business is robust. Animal stands as the fourth film to join the Rs 500 crore club in the calendar year, following Pathan, Jawan, and Gadar 2."
Strong start in December
Analysts say December has started on a strong note as along with Animal same day release Sam Bahadur has also been tracking well at the box office.
"While the occupancy is not as good as Animal, it is over 60 percent. Films like Sam Bahadur work on word of mouth while films like Animal work on buzz and the controversies around it. Sam Bahadur will pick up further. Also, there is no clash-like situation. In fact, we expect both movies to sustain for a longer time," the official cited above said.
The Vicky Kaushal-starrer did a business of Rs 25 crore over its first weekend. "Traction was decent. It is facing the Animal onslaught. The film had to be extraordinary which the audience has not found like 12th Fail (released on October 27, 2023) which is still running in theatres. It is somewhere falling short of expectations but if Monday holds on then we expect a good run."
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Along with the two new releases, Animal and Sam Bahadur, December has a strong content lineup including Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki, south superstar Prabhas' Salaar and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The large-budget films set to release in December will determine the performance of the December quarter, said analysts.
Slow occupancy recovery
"In Q3 FY24, a big release like Tiger 3 starring Salman Khan did below average performance. Now, Dunki could offset the pressure the box office faced in the last two months. So, all hopes are on the SRK-starrer," Johar said.
Occupancy levels are expected to move up sharply in the range of 27-28 percent in December.
PVR Inox has recorded below-par occupancy in October and November, 2023 despite the movie Tiger 3 reporting a net box office of Rs 270 crore, as no other large Hindi or regional film did well. Occupancy levels have been closer to 20 percent in the last two months, which is only 60 percent recovery versus pre-Covid levels," said Karan Taurani, senior vice president, Elara Capital.
He expects Hindi box office revenue growth of 18 percent year-on-year (YoY) in Q3 FY24, which is flat compared to pre-Covid levels.
Also read: Box office: Bollywood movies mint over Rs 1,500 crore in first half of 2023
"Exhibitors could face challenges over occupancy from January 2024 to
June 2024, seven large budget Hindi films, including Fighter,
Production No. 27, Yodha, Chandu Champion are slated to release so
far versus twelve large-budget Hindi films released in the past six months. Large budget films hold key for box office performance as they contribute 80-85 percent of Hindi box office in the post-Covid time," Taurani said.
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