WILL MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING CROSS THE RS. 20 CRORE MARK ON DAY 1; FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES HAVE 30 CRORE LIFETIME?

After a dull week, the normalcy returned at the box office as the ceasefire was announced by India and Pakistan. As a result, the collections improved in the North, especially the border areas. Meanwhile, all the fear over audiences not going to cinemas will vanish this weekend with the release of two exciting Hollywood releases.

Final Destination Bloodlines had midnight paid previews on Wednesday, May 14 and had a full-fledged release today, that is, Thursday, May 15. The film was originally scheduled to be released on May 16 but was preponed by a day so that the film can get an extra day to earn and thereby spread the word by the time Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning releases on May 17. It is a part of the famous Final Destination franchise and this is the sixth part. Though the last part was released 14 years ago in 2011, the youngsters are aware of the series and there’s an excitement to see it.

The Thursday release strategy seems to have worked. Final Destination Bloodlines will open at around Rs. 2.50-3 crores. It’ll collect in the same range on Friday. The earnings will be affected with the big release on Saturday. However, a Rs. 13-15 crore weekend is possible. Two years ago, Warner Bros had released Evil Dead Rise. It was a surprise success, collecting around Rs. 30 crores. Final Destination Bloodlines has the potential to beat this number.

On the other hand, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has received a fantastic response from advance ticket sales. The series has become more and more famous and Tom Cruise has a lot of appeal among the youth, despite his age. There’s an excitement to see the 60+ actor doing death-defying stunts and it's no wonder that shows are fast-filling. The earlier part, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One, had an opening of Rs. 11.90 crores. But it was released on a working Wednesday. In a unique move, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning arrives in cinemas on Saturday. Hence, the occupancy will be high from morning, unlike for Friday releases, when shows before 4 pm don’t always register a high turnout.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is all set for an opening of Rs. 15-17 crores and if all goes well, it can even cross the Rs. 20 crore mark. Hence, a Rs. 40 crore weekend is a possibility. The previous part crossed the Rs. 100 crore mark and earned around Rs. 106 crores. It now remains to be seen if Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning can cross this milestone.

The only worry is that the reviews are mixed. But what can save the film is the casting of Tom Cruise, mass-appealing scenes and also the fact that it’s the final film of a series which is going on successfully for 19 long years.