'Pathaan' Records Second-Highest Advance Bookings With Sale Of 5 Lakh Tickets

The film, which released across 5,000 screens on Wednesday, could well signal a happy 2023 for an industry grappling with crippling losses following the Covid pandemic and a string of box office duds.

Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'Pathaan' releases on January 25.

Source : Instagram

New Delhi: Beating back boycott calls, Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Pathaan” is set for the biggest opening for any Hindi film with 4.19 lakh tickets sold till Tuesday and 80 per cent occupancy on day one, even for early morning shows beginning at 6 am or 7 am, say industry insiders.

The film, which released across 5,000 screens on Wednesday, could well signal a happy 2023 for an industry grappling with crippling losses following the Covid pandemic and a string of box office duds. The ticket surge is being seen in multiplexes, single screen theatres and also in the south.

“The film is going to take a historic start at the box office with opening day collections of Rs 45 crore to Rs 50 crore. The box office revival will begin with ‘Pathaan’, especially looking at its advance booking. This is very rare. And tomorrow is a working day,” trade analyst Taran Adarsh told PTI.

Trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh also shared the list of top 5 films that recorded the highest advance bookings with 'Pathaan' making its place on the second position, beating Yash starrer 'K.G.F.', that became one of the blockbusters.

He tweeted, "Now 2nd HIGHEST FILM… 5,21,000 tickets sold at national chains. #Pathaan"

Now 2nd HIGHEST FILM… 5,21,000 tickets sold at national chains. #Pathaan https://t.co/Z5dEIPCt0m

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 24, 2023

"This film is going to break the advance booking of ‘KGF 2' and will do a business of Rs 45 crore to 50 crore,” agreed Rajendra Singh Jyala, chief programming officer at multiplex chain INOX.

"We have 7 am shows at Inox and almost 80 per cent of it is full. The early morning shows are happening in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata and a few others,” Jyala told PTI.

The Yash Raj Films production, which marks Shah Rukh’s return as a hero after 2018's "Zero", will get a five-day extended opening weekend as it releases the day before Republic Day.

The most awaited film in Indian cinema after a long, long time, Pathaan, is part of Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy universe and has the biggest superstars of the country Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in it. YRF’s adrenaline pumping entertainer, Pathaan, is set to release worldwide tomorrow in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

With PTI Inputs