Mumbai: The advance booking window for paid previews of Dhurandhar: The Revenge opened yesterday and the response has been nothing short of remarkable. The movie earned almost Rs. 8 crore nett in just the first 24 hours in India alone where it sold more than 1.75 lakh tickets. The buzz has already ensured that the movie is one of the most discussed and anticipated Bollywood releases of the year.
The strongest response has come from major urban markets such as Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which traditionally dominate advance ticket sales. Even more surprising to the trade watchers is the traction of smaller centres. Pre sales are less relied on in these markets and audiences are more inclined to purchase tickets nearer to the release date. Although the previews were set nearly two weeks prior to the launch of the film, the film has succeeded to book in those areas.
Multiplex Chains Power Early Sales
A significant chunk of the early revenue has come from national multiplex chains PVR INOX and Cinepolis. Together they have contributed more than 75 percent of the total earnings, selling around 1.25 lakh tickets within the same period.
Even though these sales are preview shows and not the real opening day, the figure is already one of the largest in Hindi cinema. To put the figures into perspective, the next film in the queue of top 24 hour box office earnings in the countrywide chain is Jawan with 1.55 lakh in sales. Nonetheless, that movie had reservations throughout the opening weekend and sales occurred only five days prior to release. Comparatively, Dhurandhar: The Revenge is currently offering preview tickets and has eleven days to release, so the early reaction is especially noteworthy.
Paid Previews Poised to Break Records
The paid preview of the film has already become the second highest preview of a Bollywood movie after the Rs. 8.75 crore nett record of the movie Stree 2. As the bookings are yet to be concluded and the release was over ten days off, the trade experts reckon that record might be broken in hours.
As it is, the preview day has already booked more than 6000 shows throughout the country. The figure will grow even larger, possibly reaching 8000 shows, perhaps even 10000 with the addition of more screens. The current preview day has been estimated to have a total capacity of approximately Rs. 50 crore nett and may increase to about 60-70 crore with the opening of more shows.
The potential revenue is enormous, as the previews will only last half a day of screenings, and they are being sold at the highest possible price of the tickets. Trade estimates project the film to cross comfortably the Rs. 30 crore nett in previews only and with a slim possibility of reaching the Rs. 40 crore mark.
Premium Pricing Strategy Driving Demand
Interestingly, bookings for the rest of the opening weekend have not been opened yet. The strategy appears to be focused on maximising preview revenue first, where ticket prices are significantly higher. Depending on the city and theatre, preview tickets are priced 25 to 75 percent above regular show rates.
The audience demand has not declined even at higher prices as is clearly evident in the pre sales numbers. After the preview window has been optimised completely, it is anticipated that the remaining weekend shows would be on sale during the weekdays, possibly as early as today.
Having such a strong opening and huge expectation surrounding the film, industry pundits feel that Dhurandhar: The Revenge may achieve even greater feats of breaking current records of pre sales and create new standards in the Indian film industry in the days to come.
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