The box office journey of Main Vaapas Aaunga has turned out to be one of the more interesting case studies of the season. After a modest opening day of Rs. 1.28 crores, the film has steadily found acceptance among its target audience and is now just a step away from entering the Rs. 50 crore club.
As of Tuesday, Day 19, Main Vaapas Aaunga has collected Rs. 49.83 crores at the domestic box office. The film is now all set to cross the Rs. 50 crore mark on Wednesday, which is a solid result considering its slow start.
The first week of the film stood at Rs. 12.46 crores. However, the real turnaround came in the second week, when the film collected Rs. 22.50 crores, almost doubling its week one business. The second Saturday and Sunday, in particular, proved to be game changers, with the film collecting Rs. 4.45 crores and Rs. 5.67 crores respectively.
What is noteworthy is that the film continued to hold strongly in its third weekend as well. The third Friday, Saturday and Sunday collections stood at Rs. 2.80 crores, Rs. 4.35 crores and Rs. 4.54 crores respectively, taking the third weekend total to Rs. 11.69 crores. This was only marginally lower than the second weekend total of Rs. 12.12 crores, indicating that the film had found a genuine audience pull.
This is also the key reason why the lifetime projection of the film is being placed around the Rs. 70 crore mark. The third weekend retained nearly 96% of the second weekend, which is an excellent hold. Usually, films tend to see a sharper drop by the third weekend, but in the case of Main Vaapas Aaunga, the weekend business has remained remarkably steady.
Going by the present trend, Main Vaapas Aaunga is expected to collect around Rs. 2.65-2.95 crores over Wednesday and Thursday, which should take its third week total to around Rs. 52.50-52.80 crores. From there, even if the film sees a regular drop in the fourth weekend, it should add another Rs. 5.75-6.50 crores over its fourth Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The fourth weekdays are likely to contribute in the range of Rs. 3.25-4 crores. This means the film could end its fourth week in the range of Rs. 61.50-63.30 crores.
Post that, depending on the hold in smaller centres and the level of showcasing it retains, Main Vaapas Aaunga can add another Rs. 6 cr. to 8.50 cr. in its fifth week and beyond. This takes the expected lifetime range to around Rs. 68 crores to Rs. 72 crores.
Hence, based on the current trend, the film is realistically headed for a lifetime total of around Rs. 70 crores. If the fourth weekend surprises once again and the film continues to enjoy support in mass centres and family driven circuits, it could even make a dash towards the Rs. 75 crore mark. However, a Rs. 70 crore finish remains the most balanced estimate at this stage.
