Padmaavat box office collection: will it reach the 50 crore mark?

Finally, the most controversial movie of the year- Padmaavat was finally released on Republic Day. Will it be a hit at the box office as well?

After much furor, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat is finally running in theaters. The period drama, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Shahid Kapoor, had to go through some testing times before seeing the light of the day. From violent protests by Karn Sena hooligans to a long delay in being approved by the Censor Board, Padmavati’s journey to being Padmaavat has been full of unprecedented struggles.

And while critics are showering their praise on Padmaavat for its wonderfully opulent visuals and Ranveer Singh’ performance as Alauddin Khilji, here’s a look at how the film is faring at the Bollywood box office. According to film trade analyst Girish Johar, the trends suggest that Padmaavat will approximately have crossed the Rs 50 crore mark by the end of Friday itself.

READ ALSO: This is what Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said to government about Padmaavat

While collecting a monumental Rs 50 crore in two days is a grand feat in itself, considering the widespread disturbance around the theaters by political fringe groups, Padmaavat has truly achieved something far more spectacular. Earlier too, cinephiles had expressed fear regarding moving to the theaters to watch the film.

Film business and trade analyst Girish Johar has a similar story to tell. He remarked that the film would definitely have made a staggering opening collection of Rs 20 crore had it released in normal conditions which means including its performance in the tumultuous states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and others. But considering the situation now, he finds it hard to arrive at a box office figure.

He further described the condition of the film’s release as very peculiar. He said, “After the Supreme Court has stayed the ban placed by various states, there are two things happening. First, the government is trying to ensure effective law and order so that the film gets a fair viewing but on the other hand, there are also rumors that the government is advising theater owners to avoid the release of the film to maintain peace in the respective cities.”

READ ALSO: Amid riots and chaos, Padmaavat hit screens: Here is the first day gross collection

Talking about the cinema-goers, Johar quipped, “At the end of the day, viewers are only looking to be entertained and they would avoid getting into a ruckus, as much as possible. Therefore, the advance bookings of Padmaavat have also been affected in that regard. While in some cities, the bookings are as strong as ever, there are also some pockets where people have shown little or no interest in the advance booking of the tickets. Mostly, people have found it wise to take a back seat currently and give the aggrandized situation a day or two and then take a decision about watching the film in cinema halls.”

Another factor worth considering in this regard is the early reviews for Bhansali’s film. Almost everybody that has watched the film is of the opinion that the film is living up to the Rajput “aan, baan and shaan” without disparaging the image of the community or its valourous Queen but will it be enough to move fans out of their homes to watch the film?

Last year, Golmaal Again was the highest box office opener of the year with a collection of Rs 30.14 crore. Will Padmaavat be able to topple the dream run of the Rohit Shetty horror comedy? Looking at the early trends looks like, as Padmaavat’s lead actor Deepika Padukone said, the collection for this Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is going to be ‘earth-shattering.’