It was a mixed response for new releases on Friday (April 29, 2022), as the box office made a little over Rs 10 crore across all of them.
While Heropanti 2 was the larger contributor, Runway 34 had a bit of a share as well. Of course, more was expected from both films.
Heropanti 2 was expected to open at Rs 10 crore-plus due to its massy theme, and also because it is Tiger Shroff's first film in theatres in over two years (after Baaghi 3).
And Ajay Devgn's last film, Tanhaji - The Unsung Warrior, was a blockbuster - since then, he's had three notable special appearances in successful films like Sooryavanshi, Gangubai Kathiawadi and RRR. Runway 34 was expected to open in the Rs 8-10 crore range and then grow over the weekend. However for now the start of both the films has been below expectations, though Heropanti 2 is better.
The Sajid Nadiadwala created franchise is now finding its second part been released to a response of Rs 7 crore* opening day. When Tiger Shroff was launched by Sajid Nadiadwala back in 2014 with Heropanti, the film had taken an opening of Rs 6.63 crore. Now eight years down the line, he is one of the youngest big stars around and Sajid Nadiadwala too has upped the scale for this Ahmed Khan directed film. One now waits to see how it grows over the weekend as that would be crucial to Monday and Tuesday numbers, when Eid should bring in added footfalls.
Ditto for Runway 34 which would be looking at taking off in a big way now over the rest of the weekend after a rather slow start. The film has its chances at the multiplexes due to the technicalities involved. Also, intense interrogation scenes in the second half of the film require complete attention of the audiences. As a result it should work well with the intelligentsia. It has taken an opening of Rs 3.5 crores when ideally Rs 6-7 crore start should have been a better bet. It does have potential to grow though since it has screens and shows at its disposal. If it manages to go past the Rs 15 crore mark by the close of Sunday, it can expect good holds on Monday (pre-Eid) and then zoom further on Tuesday (Eid).
Meanwhile, Jersey has flopped with a mere Rs 20.5 crore* coming in the entire first week. The Shahid Kapoor starrer had waited patiently to release in theatres for over 100 days after been originally announced for a December 31 release. However, the results haven’t been even close to what the team must have expected out of it. What’s all the more heartbreaking is that this is a well made movie which at least deserved a chance. In this case, the film was just plain and simple ignored, which isn’t what the makers would have bargained for.
In fact the makers of KGF: Chapter 2 too wouldn’t have imagined that their film would actually be aiming to enter the 400 Crore Club in just the Hindi version. That’s happening now though, what with the film already sitting at Rs 353.06 crore on its third Friday. The film is now spiriting towards the Rs 375 crore mark and it won’t be surprising if Dangal lifetime of Rs 387.38 crore is surpassed by close of third week. There is no stopping the Yash starrer as even new releases like Jersey, Heropanti 2 and Runway 34 aren’t making any dent to its collections. A much loved film across all segment of audiences, this Prashant Neel directed action drama is an all time blockbuster and would eventually be finding a place in the prestigious 400 Crore Club.
*Estimates. Final numbers awaited
Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources
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