Well-awaited movie thriller Bhooth Bangla, with Akshay Kumar’s casting in our film box office, has also scored an encouraging ₹12 crore so far and nearly ₹12 crore on its first day at the box office.
With the mix of humour-based fun as well as the supernatural thrill, the movie has gone with the crowd to the movie theatre, and the single-screen opening weekend was well and good news for the film! Having been a commercial entertainer’s venture, Bhooth Bangla is yet one more attempt by a producer to play the horror-comedy, which has grown in popularity of late.
The day one collection of ₹12 crore is a decent start, particularly in the context of a fierce market with mixed pre-release buzz. The film also performed more effectively in urban centres, as they encourage a cross-genre narrative (in terms of film, trade analysts say the latter will allow for better box office performance).
Evening and night shows were well-occupied in towns like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, for example. In the meantime, performances in small towns remained relatively consistent, if not great. Akshay Kumar's powerful following and his record for delivering successful films at the box office drive the box office are behind the film’s opening.
Though the actor has been criticised for a string of disappointing box office results in recent years, the star continues to make mass-market entertainers, at least within the first 10 years, the kind of box office watchboxes in mind. Hint: His comic timing and screen presence have once again been recognised as one of the primary points of strength in Bhooth Bangla. The audience responses on Day one are mixed or mostly positive.
Some audience reactions praised the film, emphasising humour and good times, while others said that its story could have been tighter, not wanting too tight a plot. And, while there are horror subplot elements, they will be relegated to the side, to be taken up with a side of comedy, which may appeal to more family audiences than to hardcore horror-loving ones. How the film does in the next few days will be key to whether it is a success overall.
Box office numbers will likely spike on the weekend if word-of-mouth is good enough. Days 2 and 3 are booking ahead, which presents a potential for a growing number of bookings, but it comes down to the reception. On the accounting front, money will play a very important role as Bhooth Bangla will need to keep on accumulating money for the remainder of the week to recoup its production and advertising expenses.
Industry pros reckon if it can clear the opening weekend with a ₹40–50 crore total, the movie could be in a good spot. Thus, the ₹12 crore Day 1 collection provides a strong basis for Bhooth Bangla overall as well. Not break even by the yardsticks of record, but at least a sign of steady consumer interest and a good indication that the movie gets a fighting chance to be a success over the coming days of the film.
Whether or not Akshay Kumar’s latest release managed to maintain the momentum and make a success at the box office can justifiably take center stage is what everyone is looking to see is a matter of fact.
