Will Liger (Hindi) manage to do what no other major film has managed since JugJugg Jeeyo? Perhaps yes, if the trending so far is any indication. It seems like ages since Bollywood saw its last blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and then it has also been quite some time that at there was at least an above average opening at the box office in the form of JugJugg Jeeyo. Post that there have been a series of disappointments galore, as far as any major Bollywood film making big bucks is concerned.
Hopefully, Liger will reverse the trend at least to some extent. No, it isn’t an event film in the offering. No, it isn’t the one that will end up taking a double-digit opening. However, it could well be the one, which will at least bring box office out of the rut as far as taking an opening of mere Rs. 2-3 crores is concerned. It seems like a new trend where Rs. 50-100 crores budgeted films open in Rs. 2-3 crores range and Rs. 100-200 crores budgeted films barely make it to a double digit start. However, Liger could well take a better start as while in Telugu it is bound to take one of the better starts of 2022, even in Hindi it could well open around Rs. 4-5 crores, which won’t be bad at all.
Vijay Devarakonda and Ananya Pandey have done their all to ensure that the film reaches out to the target audiences, masses. They have gone through multiple city tours, interacted with audiences, and made them aware of what the Puri Jagannadh film stands for. They have come across as honest in their approach towards enticing audiences into theatres. Though ideally, the films budget and credibility warrants that Rs. 8-10 crores start comes in, rest assured Karan Johar and his team would be fairly satisfied if a start of around Rs. 4-5 crores is there for the Hindi version. As long as that is the case, there would be a window of opportunity at least and from Saturday, onwards the merits would come into play.
