The advances for Dhurandhar: The Revenge continue to roll on, with the film netting Rs. 16.50 crore approx for the previews so far. Including the South-dubbed versions takes the total to over Rs. 17 crore nett. The national chains are closing in on the 2.50 lakh ticket mark, with 2.45 lakh tickets sold worth Rs. 11.50 crore nett as of this morning. That figure should soon move past 3 lakh and 3.50 lakh, though whether it can cross 4 lakh by Tuesday remains to be seen.
The pace has remained steady, with around Rs. 1.75 crore coming in every day. At this rate, the film should cross Rs. 20 crore nett before Sunday ends, and then move past Rs. 25 crore nett by Tuesday. However, that may not be exactly how it plays out. Once the full advances open, the pace of previews is expected to slow down. How much of a drop there will be, or if at all, remains to be seen. Either way, the film can reach Rs. 25 crore pre-sales or more by Tuesday night, and that would make Rs. 30 crore nett plus final number pretty much a certainty.
There are around 8000 shows scheduled now, and the number could rise to over 9000 eventually. The capacity is just under Rs. 60 crore nett; the final number would be around Rs. 65 crore nett. That’s enough for hitting Rs. 30 crore nett, in fact, more, way more. The record for the largest previews in India currently belongs to They Call Him OG with Rs. 26 crore nett, and that record now looks certain to fall, likely the first of many records for the film.
That aside. The wait remains for advances to open for the weekend. The sort of advances film is getting overseas is absurd; that sort of absurdity is yet to be seen in India, even with the sort of preview number it is going to get. The sales open at the moment are previews, late in the day and on highly premium prices. On top of that, it was a bit too early for the general audience to book. Typically, tentpole films open in advance five to seven days before release, and that’s where we stand right now. The advances could open anytime; there is an ongoing contention between distributors and national chains. Once they are settled, advances will open, and that’s when the real action begins.
