Kalki 2898 AD is all set to release tomorrow and its advance ticket sales in Hindi have taken the industry and trade by surprise. Bollywood Hungama spoke to trade experts about this Pan-India film’s advance trending and a lot more.
Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, said, “It has the best advance of the year so far. Fighter also didn’t have such an advance. It’s been a while since we saw such advances. Animal (2023) ke baad aisa ticket sales dekhne ko mil raha hai; that film was released nearly 7 months ago. The advance booking is encouraging not just in mass areas but across the country and also Overseas.”
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh excitedly shared, “The advance is phenomenal. Telangana is even better. As soon as the booking was opened, the shows were full in no time. Even the 4 am shows got sold out. This shows the craze for the film. Moreover, the star cast is massive. The director, moreover, is a very good storyteller. His film Mahanati (2018) was a lovely, emotional drama. So, the director coupled with all these factors should ensure a thunderous start.”
Vishek Chauhan agreed, “The film has rich production values and a great North-South combination – that is, Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone’s casting along with Kamal Haasan’s presence.”
Raj Bansal, the owner of Entertainment Paradise in Jaipur predicted also said on similar lines, “Kalki 2898 AD will have a great opening. The content will then do the talking. The star cast is huge. Also, it’s mounted on a huge scale.”
Opening day expectations
This brings us to the first-day expectations from the Hindi version of Kalki 2898 AD. Vishek Chauhan said, “The Hindi version should open at Rs. 25 crores. If you count all versions, the first day should be targeting Rs. 100 crores.”
Taran Adarsh predicted, “It will go beyond Rs. 20 crores. That’s a huge start for a working day. If the reports come out well, then it’ll be sone pe suhaga.” When asked if it has the best advance of 2024, he answered, “It’s too early to say. So, we should wait until tomorrow night (Wednesday, June 26) to see where it goes. I am also confident that even spot booking would be fantastic.”
Raj Bansal, meanwhile, said that the film indeed has the best advance booking so far in 2024. “It’ll also have the best opening and open more than Rs. 20 crores,” he said. “Thursday release is tricky. But if it opens well, then Thursday ya Friday ho, koi fark nahin padta.”
Can Kalki 2898 AD be the first Rs. 300 or Rs. 400 crores grosser in Hindi this year? Taran Adarsh said, “Kuch bhi ho sakta hai. In today’s times, if the audience patronizes a film, there’s no stopping it. Also, it’s a film that has hype even in small centres. So, it’s not like ki yeh science fiction waali film hai toh sirf metros mein hi chalegi. There’s curiosity in smaller centres.”
Vishek Chauhan, in agreement, exulted, “With this kind of opening and if the reports are good, then the sky is the limit.”
Raj Bansal, however, said, “It’s too early to say.”
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