As the anticipation over whether Karan Johar can deliver a much-needed blockbuster to Bollywood with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani continues, the Alia Bhatt-Ranveer Singh film debuted in theatres worldwide on Friday. Although the film’s makers took a daring step by premiering it exactly one week after the ‘Barbenheimer’ clash, it appears that the KJo movie is poised to gain an advantage due to the diminishing buzz surrounding Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in India, while maintaining interest in other parts of the world. Presently, its sole competitor is Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.As per the early estimates by industry tracker Sacnilk, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani raked in a whopping Rs 11.5 crore from Indian theatres on Friday. The outcome is less than average as Nolan’s film opened with Rs 14.5 crore on the Indian box office. As far as the opening day collections of 2023’s Hindi films is concerned, the Karan Johar film is the fifth highest opener of the year. The top four spots are occupied by Pathaan (Rs 57 crore), Adipurush (Rs 36 crore), Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (Rs 15.81 crore) and Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (Rs 15.73 crore), as per Bollywood Hungama.
The film started with a 12% occupancy in the Hindi market during the morning shows, but it experienced a consistent increase in percentages throughout the day, reaching 15.80% for afternoon shows, 20.18% for evening shows, and an impressive 36.85% for night shows.
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