Box office collections: Fukrey 3 set to score Rs 50 crore over extended five-day weekend

Fukrey 3 had earned Rs 16.63 crore by the end of Day 2 in theatres on Friday, September 29, 2023. (Screen grab/YouTube/Excel Movies)

Yet another week, yet another Bollywood success in the making. Fukrey 3 arrived in theatres on Thursday, a partial holiday because of Mawlid or Eid-e-Milad an-Nabi. It opened well at the box office, with Rs 8.82 crore coming in on Day 1. And then the follow-through was good too, with Friday bringing in Rs 7.81 crore more. As a result, Rs 16.63 crore had come in with all of the conventional weekend of Saturday and Sunday and the Gandhi Jayanthi holiday on Monday remaining, which means collections for Fukrey 3 will likely continue to see an upward trend.

The last few months have been a dream run for Bollywood movies, and now one can firmly say that the industry is truly back on track. While big-ticket event films like Pathaan, Jawan and Gadar 2 were expected to do well at the box office, films like Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani too had a lot riding on them. However, it's the success of mid-budget films like SatyaPrem Ki Katha, OMG 2, Dream Girl 2, and Zara Hatke Zara Bachke that has ensured that the momentum never slacked and there hasn't been a bad month at Indian box offices in the July-September quarter.

Fukrey 3, another mid-budget film, has no conventional stars. Featuring actors Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Manjot Singh, Richa Chadha, Pankaj Tripathi, it is an ensemble affair which is primarily relying on the franchise factor to do the trick - and it has managed to entice audiences into theatres.

It remains to be seen whether the film can earn more than Rs 10 crore in a single day on Saturday or Sunday - an indicator of whether it can make Rs 50 crore by close of Monday, which would ensure that the film is a theatrical success. Anything over that would be an added bonus for this franchise that has been put together by director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba for producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.

It may be a little early to say this, but given the current trend that the film is seeing, it could well be looking at entry into the 100 Crore Club. Yes, there are multiple releases in the coming week but by then the film should manage box office earnings in the vicinity of Rs 70 crore and from there on it won't be difficult to gather at least Rs 30 crore more.

Meanwhile, Jawan is going full throttle and is just not slowing down at all. There is 1+1 ticket offer on too, which is keeping the film well in circulation. Moreover, Shah Rukh Khan is continuing to connect with his fans over social media and that's ensuring huge momentum for the film. Currently, it stands at Rs 530.40 crores in just the Hindi version while the aall-languages numbers have already reached Rs 589.37 crore at the Indian box office. By tomorrow, the film will enter 600 Crore Club across all languages while the Hindi version too will cross the Rs 550 crore mark by Monday. An all-time mega blockbuster for a reason.

*Estimates. Final numbers awaited.

Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources