Shamshera has been one of the most anticipated movies of the year. The Yash Raj Films project stars Ranbir Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor in the lead while RK locks horns with Sanjay Dutt. The film marks Ranbir’s comeback to the big screen after four long years. While Ranbir has proved that he can win over the box office with films such as Sanju and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Ranbir’s comeback comes at a crucial point for the industry.
The Hindi film industry has been struggling to crack the formula at the box office. With just a handful of films managed to rule the box office, we asked trade experts if Shamshera can crack the box office formula. Girish Johar, producer and film business expert, sounded optimistic in a conversation with News18 Showsha. However, he did point out that Shamshera’s box office collection highly depends on the word of mouth.
“Advance booking is pretty much towards the film and Ranbir Kapoor is a big star and he has a huge fan following. He is coming back after a hiatus of four years. Having said that, we all know that the dynamics post-pandemic at the box office has changed a lot. So I am pretty much confident that the film will have a decent start at the box office. It will be a wide release and YRF is a premium production house in the country and also they are releasing the film in various languages,” he notes.
He added that the film had the potential of working wonders in the pre-pandemic era but now, with the box office dynamics changed, it is a dicey situation. “In pre-pandemic, the film would have done much better because the film was green-lighted at that point in time but we all know the audiences have changed and the box office is ruthless right now for films. For the film to step a foot in the door, I peg it at Rs 12 to 15 crores to start with and thereupon it could build based on word of mouth over the weekend,” Johar adds.
Trade expert Atul Mohan also points out that the film is lacking the excitement that such a big banner usually did before the pandemic. “The excitement is missing. So far it is a mixed vibe from the film,” he says. “It depends on the number of walk-ins on Friday. The ticket prices have been slashed for the first show, which is good,” he adds.
“If the film gets good reviews and people enjoy it, the collections could multiply after the evening. For now, the film is likely to open between Rs 8 and 10 crores. If the shows are good and audiences start walking in, the collections could increase,” Atul explains. “Earlier it was easier to predict but now, it has become a little difficult to understand what the audience really wants,” he adds.
Shamshera releases on July 22. The film faces no competition at the box office.
