Padmaavat can be the first Rs. 200 crore Republic Day grosser

By Fenil Seta -

January 17, 2018 - 12:55 PM IST

The wait is finally about to get over. The much awaited Padmaavat is about to release in 7 days, that is, January 24. Yes, it’s having a release from Wednesday evening/night onwards and will have a full release from Thursday January 25. The film has faced trouble but what one can’t deny is the fact that it’s a film that is carrying immense buzz and this is something that’s happening way before the troubles began.

Padmaavat can be the first Rs. 200 crore Republic Day grosser

The film is now releasing on the beneficial Republic Day weekend and before that, it has Wednesday evening and Thursday to score. Despite competition from Akshay Kumar-starrer Pad Man, the film can score at the box office if it gets a 3000 screens plus release. Pad Man can and will have to settle for a smaller release considering the reasonable costs of the film. Padmaavat meanwhile has the potential to score a Rs. 70-75 crore extended weekend and even more. If word of mouth is strong, crossing Rs. 100 crore mark will be a cakewalk in the middle of the first week and then Rs. 200 crore mark will be the next target which also is easily achievable. The scale and grandeur of the film is such that it would attract viewers to theatres in hordes. Moreover, it’s releasing in 3D and IMAX and these aspects can also bring in sizeable moolah.

Of course these things can happen only if Padmaavat gets a pan-India release. With the Supreme Court all set to hear the case tomorrow, there are high chances that it will take all those states to task which have banned the film. After all, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has already passed the film. In the past, the Supreme Court had come down heavily when the 2011 flick Aarakshan was denied a release in Uttar Pradesh. It had remarked that ‘it is for the state to maintain law and order effectively and meaningfully’. Even during Udta Punjab row in June 2016, the Bombay High Court had sided with the makers and supported the idea of freedom of expression. Going by these instances, the judiciary has always been in favour of the filmmakers and hence, one can expect the Supreme Court to give a favour that would bring cheer from the makers, trade and audiences alike.

If Padmaavat manages to cross the Rs. 200 crore mark, it will be a huge feat. It will be the first Republic Day grosser to do so. As of now, Shah Rukh Khan’s 2017 starrer Raees is the highest grosser of the national holiday, grossing Rs. 137.51 crore. Hence, as one can see, no film has even crossed the Rs. 150 crore mark. Hence, to cross the Rs. 200 crore mark for Padmaavat will be a feat. Also, it will be a much needed achievement for the makers who have been through hell and back.

Looks like acche din are already here for Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his team!