Maryam Farooqui
Moneycontrol News
After the success of Baahubali: The Conclusion and Toilet Ek Prem Katha, theatres in India witnessed a dry spell. But thanks to Golmaal Again, audiences seem to be making their way back to the nearest cinema halls.
The multi-starrer comedy has opened to an occupancy of around 70-75 percent in the morning shows, according to Box Office India. This is touted to be the best opening for a Hindi film since the release of Sultan in 2016 in the last two years.
Raaes, Tubelight, and Judwa 2, all of which were released this year, opened to an occupancy of 50, 37.5 and 35 percent, respectively. It looks like the Diwali holiday has resulted in good occupancy for Golmaal Again despite stiff competition from Aamir Khan’s Secret Superstar.
However, had it not been for the clash, Golmaal Again could have added around Rs 30 crore in its kitty on day one.
Another factor that could play against the movie is the distribution negotiations. Despite knowing that Golmaal Again will only get 50 percent screens in PVR and Inox theatres, the distributors of the film did not work on the advance timing for the sale of movie tickets.
This led to low advance across multiplexes, which may impact the movie's first day collections. However, a strong brand recall value will help the film stand strong at the box office.
The Golmaal franchise has largely been successful at the box office till now and it looks like Golmaal Again will rake in Rs 20 crore on the first day, according to industry estimates.
The first film from the Golmaal franchise had collected Rs 2.32 crore on opening day and the next two films, Golmaal Returns and Golmaal 3 added Rs 5.89 crore and Rs 8.36 crore, respectively.
Running in more than 3,500 screens in India and 732 screens overseas, Golmaal Again has got the widest release for a Golmaal franchise film. Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted that Golmaal Again opened to long queues, and 'House Full' boards.
Concurring with Adarsh on the film’s day one performance, analyst Komal Nahta said that Golmaal Again had a bumper start and the movie is likely to do well at ticket windows.
The film has been well received in Northern India, where the other films from the same franchise couldn’t hold their ground. In the southern circle, Golmaal Again may have an edge over Secret Superstar because the latter has not released in Chennai due to the double taxation protest.
So far this year, Salman Khan-starrer Tubelight has raked in the most over the first three days, with collections of around Rs 64.77 crore. Will Golmaal Again be able to surpass this milestone? Only time will tell.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
