WILL MARDAANI 3 MANAGE TO EXCEL DESPITE BORDER 2 WAVE?
Last week’s big release, Border 2, has become a blockbuster. It opened at Rs. 29.50 crores, which was Rs. 50 lakhs below expectations. Thankfully, the word of mouth was very positive and hence, the collections jumped to Rs. 36.50 crores on Saturday, followed by Rs. 52 crores on Sunday. On Monday, Republic Day, the numbers reached the Rs. 56.50 crore mark. Despite Tuesday being a non-holiday, the film collected Rs. 20 crores. It saw a major drop on Wednesday as it earned Rs. 13 crores. The first week collections are expected to be Rs. 218 crores.
Gadar 2’s lifetime was Rs. 515.13 crores and many feel that it’s unlikely that the war drama can go past its numbers. However, box office is unpredictable and with limited competition this week and next, a lifetime of Rs. 500 crores can’t be ruled out.
Meanwhile, Mardaani 3 will be released this Friday, January 30. It was to be originally released on February 27 and was postponed a few weeks ago. Yet again, Rani Mukerji steps into the shoes of the fiery cop, Shivani Shivaji Roy. The trailer is hard-hitting, as expected. The USP of Mardaani and Mardaani 2 were its villains and in that regard, the antagonist this time is also fresh and unexpected.
However, the buzz is limited and is meant for a certain audience. Also, there is apprehension that the content seems similar to Delhi Crime and a few other web shows. But if word of mouth is solid, these factors shouldn’t matter.
Mardaani opened at Rs. 3.44 crores and had a lifetime of Rs. 35.83 crores. Mardaani 2, meanwhile, opened marginally better, at Rs. 3.75 crores and went on to do lifetime business of Rs. 46.33 crores. Mardaani 3 is also expected to open in the same range of Rs. 3 and 4 crores.