One of the highly awaited movies this year, “Indian 2,” featuring universal legend Kamal Haasan and ardent director Shankar, has finally hit theaters, and the performance on the first day was eagerly awaited by many fans and industrial analysts alike. There was so much hype expected of the first part, “Indian,” and this movie was expected to start with a bang. However, as advance booking figures began rolling in, it was all too evident that ‘Indian 2’ had fallen way short of the astronomical expectations set by Kamal Haasan’s last blockbuster, ‘Vikram.’
Advance booking for ‘Indian 2’ had started weeks ahead of its release date, and fans had shown an enthusiastic reaction to the advance ticket booking for the cinematic extravaganza. With very high expectations, the film had more than 6.25 lakh tickets sold across India by advance booking. The teased advance booking reports for “Vikram” indeed carry this figure. Well, the figure is excellent, but compared to the overwhelming advance booking reports for “Vikram,” it falls slightly short. Undivided buzz was created upon “Indian 2,” too, but it was really surprising as to why the film was not able to stretch its bars beyond the advance booking reports of “Vikram.”.
Several factors could have gone against it. One such reason is the stiff competition it faced from other releases. “Indian 2” was one film that literally faced stiff competition from other bigger releases happening around the same time slot, in turn leading to the splitting of one audience member’s attention tickets, affecting the advance booking numbers. Further, the kind of aggressive campaign that “Vikram” is heading could be said to be the marketing strategy and promotional activities of “Indian 2,” due to which it may not have comparatively as much pre-release hype.
Another pivotal reason could be the lukewarm response to the trailer and promotional material for the movie. Though it had a stellar star cast and a famous director, the movie’s trailers made the viewers feel that they did not bring out the elements and scale that were expected of the sequel to India’s ‘an iconic film’. This could have dampened the excitement of viewers who were most probable and made them sit back on advance booking.
Furthermore, advanced booking figures may also give some insight into changes in audience dynamics and their viewing preferences. In that case, with the advent of OTT platforms and an increase in their popularity, audiences may sometimes prefer to book big movie tickets with mixed reports only after the digital release. This attitude toward change might have slightly led to reduced advance booking numbers for “Indian 2.”
But even with such challenges to the film, “Indian 2” was fetching a marvelous response across the world, and the film had many footfalls on the opening weekend. In several regions, there were full-packed theaters on the very opening day, with fans waiting to see Kamal Haasan repeating his trademark role. So, the star power of Kamal Haasan, combined with the sure-shot direction by Shankar, ensured at least a good start for the movie, if nothing else, in terms of records of pre-booking.
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Indian 2’s long-term run, however, will entirely depend on the kind of Monday it shows and how well it holds from hereon. The film has all the chances to sail through with the help of good word-of-mouth and reviews. The factors that look like going a long way for the movie are the performance of Kamal Haasan and the direction of Shankar. If the film is able to leave an impact on audiences, then even with these below-par advance booking figures, its box office numbers may still be impressive.
It is to be noted that “Indian 2” holds immense cultural and nostalgic value with respect to many of its fans. The original “Indian” from 1996 was not only a commercial hit but also appreciated by critics for its story, performances, and social message. The sequel carries heavy weight with it, and hence many fans may not abandon the film but do so out of a sense of loyalty, wanting to know how the story has been carried on.
The box office performance of the film “Indian 2” is going to be keenly watched in the coming days. One can expect the producers and distributors of the film to take a close look at how it performs vis-à-vis current competition and upcoming releases. For the film fraternity, which has seen fortunes go up and down over the years, “Indian 2” has a really big need to come out strong and help set a platform for more successful releases during the film year.
In other words, “Indian 2” might not have made “Vikram’s” kind of advance booking, but it managed a milestone at least with over 6.25 lakh tickets being sold all over the country. That has set the ball rolling; from here on, it remains to be seen how much momentum the film gains by word of mouth. With Kamal Haasan in the lead and the megaphone wielded by Shankar, movie lovers believed that Indian 2 would ultimately be a smashing success if it had appealed to them.
The future thus remains bright for Indian 2, giving the film high chances of overcoming the storm that has shaken its progress lately and landing this movie at great box office heights, as many had predicted. Fans and industry watchers will be interested to see how this well-expected sequel unfolds in theaters.
