JAPANESE ANIME FILM TO DOMINATE BOX OFFICE THIS WEEK; OPEN IN DOUBLE DIGITS

The Japanese anime films have always had a passionate but minuscule number of fans in India. A few of the films have opened in the range of Rs. 1-2 crores, which was quite good, considering the niche appeal. But all beliefs have been changed in the last few days with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle.

This film, believe it or not, has sold more than 1 lakh tickets in the national chains on the first day and the number keeps growing as the release date nears. The demand was so huge that exhibitors decided to play shows at 5:00 am, a first for a Japanese film in India. Even that wasn’t enough to cope with the demand. As a result, the theatres are now playing round-the-clock shows, with the first show starting at midnight.

The advance booking is possibly the highest this year, and might surpass films like Chhaava, The Conjuring: Last Rites and Saiyaara, among others. As of now, it’ll open around Rs. 14-15 crores, but the number can go higher. 

There is an audience that’s dying to see the film but there’s also a section of the audience who’s still not interested, as they haven’t possibly followed the series or are not into anime at all. Hence, the next few days will be huge for the film, but at some point, it’ll face a drop. Whether it happens on weekdays or next week remains to be seen. Nevertheless, with such an opening, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle is all set to be one of the highest-grossing films of the year in the country.

The other significant release of the week is Mirai. It is a Telugu film starring Teja Sajja of Hanuman fame and is backed by People Media Factory, producers of Jaat and the upcoming Pan-India flick, The Raja Saab. In Hindi, the film is presented by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. In Telugu, it seems like it’ll open on a healthy note. But in Hindi, excitement is negligible. The opening will be weak, and it’ll need a strong word of mouth to make a big jump on Saturday.

Meanwhile, several small Hindi films will be up for release tomorrow like Ek Chatur Naar, Heer Express, Love In Vietnam, Mannu Kya Karegga and Jugnuma. Ek Chatur Naar has some chances, but the rest of the films will face a tough time getting an audience.