JAAT BRINGS RESPITE TO CINEMAS; WILL KESARI CHAPTER 2 MANAGE TO SUCCEED?

Last week’s release Jaat is doing very well at the box office. There were apprehensions about releasing the film on a Thursday. Thankfully, it opened beyond expectations, collecting Rs. 9 crores. It had a healthy jump on Sunday when it earned Rs. 14 crores. The four-day weekend total was Rs. 39 crores. On Monday, it had the advantage of a partial holiday (Ambedkar Jayanti) while on Tuesday, most cinemas sold tickets at cheaper rates as per the new offer by PVR Inox.

While Jaat collected Rs. 7.25 crores on Monday, it earned Rs. 5.50 crores on Tuesday. Wednesday was the first normal non-holiday weekday for Jaat when it held strongly, collecting Rs. 3.85 crores. The first week collections of Jaat are expected to be Rs. 59 crores. If it manages to hold well for the next two weeks, it has the chance to cross the Rs. 100 crore mark. It faces competition from Kesari Chapter 2 from tomorrow, April 18, but that film is meant for a different audience.

Kesari Chapter 2 stars Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday and is based on the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre’s aftermath. While many films have been made on the tragic event, this film throws light on the courtroom drama that followed. The trailer is hard-hitting and all three actors seem in top form. In a unique initiative, fan screenings were held in different cities on April 16 and the terrific word of mouth has enhanced the hype to some extent.

Sadly, the film faces several challenges. It is given an ‘A’ rating, which will restrict its audience. Secondly, there’s no song and it looks like a serious drama. Thirdly, Akshay Kumar’s box office standing sadly is not the same as it was before the pandemic. 6 years ago, a film like this would have opened in the range of Rs. 13-14 crores.

As of now, it seems like Kesari Chapter 2 would have an opening of Rs. 7-8 crores. A weekend of Rs. 30 crores would be very healthy and this will be possible with encouraging word of mouth followed by huge interest among people to see the film.