As Brahmastra storms advance bookings, a look at Ranbir Kapoor’s top five openers at box office

Actor Ranbir Kapoor is expected to bounce back at the box office with his mega budget fantasy adventure Brahmastra: Part One Shiva, after the debacle of his last release, Shamshera. Brahmastra, produced Karan Johar and also starring Alia Bhatt, is one of the most anticipated Hindi films of the year.
Set to release on September 9, the Ayan Mukerji directorial is gearing to have a wide-scale release across 5000 screens in the country. According to multiple trade sources, Brahmastra has stormed the advance booking with more than 50,000 tickets being sold for the release weekend.

‘BRAHMĀSTRA’: ADVANCE BOOKING STATUS… Finally, some relief for the industry… Received #Brahmāstra *day-wise data* [advance booking] of *a leading multiplex chain*… Observations…⭐ Tickets sold: 11,558 [veryyy positive start, since advance opened at select locations only] pic.twitter.com/UW83RpmofZ
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 3, 2022
While there is no clarity on the exact opening day figure as of yet, trade is hoping the film to clock in more than Rs 20 crore, minimum, and keeping a close eye on how the advance booking performs till Thursday, as that will give a clear picture on how big Brahmastra will open.
Though this is the first CGI-heavy fantasy film for Ranbir, the star is known to give his films assured, respectable box office openings on non-holiday dates, irrespective of the genre. Ahead of Brahmastra, here are Ranbir Kapoor’s top five openers.

1. Sanju
The film that tops the l, is Sanju, the biopic of actor Sanjay Dutt. The Rajkumar Hirani  directorial was the last pre-pandemic release for Ranbir in 2018 and is also the biggest hit of his career. Sanju opened at a whopping Rs 34.75 cr and went on to script hory with a lifetime total of more than Rs 342 cr at the box office.
2. Besharam
Four years before Ranbir Kapoor got big numbers and wide spread acclaim for his turn as Sanjay Dutt in Sanju, the actor opened Besharam– his first stint at ‘masala’ genre– at Rs 21.56 crore. Directed Abhinav Kashyap, the action comedy was a disaster at the box office.
3. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani 
Ranbir Kapoor-Deepika Padukone starrer romantic comedy Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani in 2013 was the first time the star crossed the Rs 150cr mark at the box office as the Ayan Mukerji directorial clocked a lifetime of Rs 188 cr, after putting up an opening day figure of Rs 19.45 cr.

4. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Ranbir Kapoor’s maiden collaboration with Karan Johar as a director was with the 2016 romantic drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The film released amid extreme negativity–as Johar was under fire for featuring Pakani actor Fawad Khan post Uri attacks–and a clash with Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay. Despite that, the film had an opening day of Rs 13.30 cr at the box office.
5. Tamasha
Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha, headlined Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone, didn’t have a glorious run at the ticket window in 2015. But the film, which received polarising reviews at the time, has cultivated a dedicated fan following over the years. Tamasha opened at Rs 10.94 cr, which was higher than Ranbir’s last theatrical Shamshera, which had raked in Rs 10.25 cr.
Brahmastra is billed as a big-scale fantasy film, which will have a wide pan-India release. The film also features megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy and Nagarjuna. While Brahmastra is Hindi cinema’s maiden attempt at exploring Indian mythology for the big screen, Bollywood has dabbled in fantasy films before, with Shah Rukh Khan’s superhero Ra.One, Aamir Khan’s period actioner Thugs of Hindostan and Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish franchise.

Aamir opened his 2018 Diwali release Thugs of Hindostan at a whopping Rs 52.25 cr, but the film eventually tanked at the box office. Ra.One, Shah Rukh’s big budget project, had opened at Rs 18.50 cr during Diwali of 2011 while Hrithik’s last superhero outing Krrish 3 in 2013 had clocked Rs 25.50 cr at the box office.
The Hindi film industry, which is going through a dry spell at the box office, is banking on Brahmastra to turn its pre-release into solid box office figures. While trade critics are confident of the film taking a flying start at the ticket window, all eyes are now on the content of the film, which will determine its lifetime collection.