After much talk and promotion we finally see the release of the Shah Rukh Khan – Anushka Sharma starrer JAB HARRY MET SEJAL that is directed by Imtiaz Ali. But will the film, whose star cast has left no stone unturned in promoting it manage to shatter some if not all box office records or will be yet another average performer is the question of the hour.
Reports indicate that JAB HARRY MET SEJAL has opened on a sluggish to good start of 40% occupancy rate at urban multiplexes while single screens have recorded a 25% occupancy rate. However, considering the recent past releases, an low opening of this sort has become a trend given the fact that Fridays are working days and usually start on a slightly slower note compared to Saturdays and Sundays.
On the other hand, JAB HARRY MET SEJAL is expected to post extremely high footfalls on account of good advance bookings for the film for evening and night shows. Interestingly, this trend of advance bookings isn’t limited to only Friday, with reports suggesting that advance bookings for Saturday and Sunday have also been high.
Despite the good rate of advance booking what works against the film is its lack of chartbusting music, the perception of Shah Rukh Khan’s previous releases faltering at the box office and the same travel based storyline from Imtaiz Ali’s previous directorial outings. Simultaneously, initial reviews from the Far East have not been all that encouraging either. Considering these points JAB HARRY MET SEJAL will have to depend heavily on positive word of mouth as well as acceptance from Shah Rukh Khan fans to do the trick at the box office.
