Brahmastra at south Indian box office: Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt movie is ‘exceeding expectations’ but…
The bar was too low for Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra at the box office in the south Indian states. There was not much expectation from the film. So the exhibitors and dributors are happy as the movie has managed to put up an acceptable performance at the ticket windows.
“No other Hindi films managed to run like this in recent times. So there is no disappointment. Brahmastra has garnered a better collection for a Hindi movie post-pandemic (in Tamil Nadu). We don’t understand why no recent Hindi film has done well. Is it because of content or has the market for Hindi films shrunk? Maybe if Brahmastra had better content, it may have done even better,” Tirupur Subramaniam, the President of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, said.
Chennai-based exhibitor Rakesh Gowthaman, who manages Vettri Theatres, said the stakeholders in TN didn’t have high hopes for Brahmastra. “We didn’t expect it to perform like Baahubali. It performed at the same level as the recent Thor movie. It’s not like Laal Singh Chaddha or Shamshera, we expected something from these movies. But, they were a total washout. Brahmastra’s opening and all were decent. If the content was good and appreciated all, it would have picked up during the weekdays and it would have retained small screens or second screens in the second week. But, now it’s totally over. Except for multiplexes, all theatres are dropping Brahmastra. We don’t want to retain Brahmastra but we want to keep Thiruchitrambalam, which is in its fifth week,” he explained.
In Tamil Nadu, the film is expected to end its theatrical run with Rs 4 crore dributors’ share. And that allows Aamir Khan’s Dangal to retain its six-year-old record of being the highest-grossing Hindi film in the state. Dangal’s lifetime collection in Tamil Nadu is upwards of Rs 20 crore.
The situation seems similar for the Ayan Mukerji directorial in Kerala too. The film’s first week collection is pegged around Rs 1 crore, and it’s expected to end its run with Rs 2 crore in its kitty. “In Kerala, the film has well performed in the main centres. In Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut and Ernakulam, it has collected well,” said K Vijayakumar, the president of the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK).
Love and light ruling the global box office at #1! Entering the second week with a heart full of gratitude and excitement!!✨🔥 #Brahmastra pic.twitter.com/fyJQuVhehL
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) September 16, 2022
There is a sliver-lining to Brahmastra’s overall performance in south India. The film is seemingly exceeding expectations keeping the cash regers ringing at the box office in the Telugu states. “The film is doing exceedingly well in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It will do a dributor’s share up to Rs 35 crore, gross will be around Rs 50. That’s huge. People in those states could connect to the story but the audience in Tamil Nadu couldn’t. Usually, Hindi films don’t do well in Tamil Nadu, only Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam films do well. Considering that, it is having a decent run in Tamil Nadu,” opined film producer Dhananjayan.
Brahmastra has brought much-needed cheers to the Hindi film industry, which has been battered a series of flops. According to the film’s producers, the movie has earned Rs 300 crore from its worldwide ticket sales. The film is also nearing the Rs 200 crore mark at the box office in India.
