South movies have been dominating the box office leaving Bollywood movies behind. Several Hindi movies in a row have bombed at the box office raising questions over the glory. While dreams of several A-listed actors and filmmakers have shattered recently, Hindi movie lovers have pinned high hopes on Ranbir Kapoor's upcoming, Brahmāstra: Part One- Shiva.
While Hindi movie lovers are eagerly waiting for the release, boycott calls for Brahmāstra have been trending on social media since a few days. Considering the previous scenarios, many are fearing that like the disastrous outcomes of Aamir Khan starrer Laal Singh Chaddha and Ranbir's Shamshera, Brahmāstra might taste the bitter consequences of the boycott calls. However, it seems that the boycott calls may not affect this time and as speculated, Brahmāstra will taste success and bring back Bollywood's lost glory.
Advance ticket booking stats depict so
Such predictions backing Brahmāstra's success are not just assumptions as the advance ticket booking status depicts so.
It seems Hindi movie lovers have vouched to extend full support and restore the lost glory of Hindi cinema this time following multiple failures.
Cine critic Taran Adarsh on Saturday tweeted about the positive response for Brahmāstra among the audience.
"'BRAHMĀSTRA': ADVANCE BOOKING STATUS... Finally, some relief for the industry... Received #Brahmāstra day-wise data [advance booking] of a leading multiplex chain... Observations...  Tickets sold: 11,558 [veryyy positive start, since advance opened at select locations only]," his Tweet read.
In another Tweet he wrote, " Fri contribution is 63% of the total ticket sales, followed by Sat [25%] and Sun [12%]  Needs to maintain the pace till Thu night for a strong advance status  Mass circuits and spot bookings [when film releases] will play an extremely vital role in Day 1 [Fri] numbers."
However, he went on to mention that Saturday and Sunday business will depend upon audience reviews.
Probable factors backing success
Brahmāstra is touted as one of the high-budget Hindi movies that will create history. The budget for Brahmāstra is over Rs 400 crore. The official budget of the movie, excluding the print and publicity expenses is Rs. 410 crores and is touted to be the costliest Bollywood film to date and the expenditure will be visible on each and every frame.
Apart from the budget factor, there are several factors that are backing such expectations.
First of all, Brahmāstra is bringing a story plot like never before. As south ace director SS Rajamouli said, the Aayan Mukerji-helmed project will create history. Moreover, movie lovers have already got a glance of VFX, action sequences and picturesque locations which elevates their expectations.
Apart from that, the mega star cast in the movie also is another factor. The real-life couple- Ranbir and Alia will be seen on the silver screen for the first time. Apart from the couple pairing, and Mouni Roy in a pivotal role, the inclusion of other mega-celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna and Shah Rukh Khan has spiked the anticipation. Even rumours are abuzz that another real-life couple- Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone may be a part of the second installment.
Above all, Brahmāstra is touted as the first Indian movie which has brought several other major celebrities from across India. While Chiranjeevi has dubbed the narrative part of the Telugu version, Rajamouli and Jr NTR have been a part of the promotions with the Brahmastra team. Several other celebrities from other industries are also a part of Brahmāstra in some or the other way. Such a strategy might turn out to be favourable for Brahmāstra team.
With only 5 days left for its worldwide theatrical release, The entire team of Disney and Dharma are confident that the movie will create magic at the box office after winning the hearts of the movie lovers. Reports suggest that if the first part succeeds, the team will proceed with their idea of completing a Brahmāstra trilogy. Well, the results will be out this week after the theatrical release. All need to wait for the same.