Box-office collections may not be too transparent, but the buzz around Rajinikanth films, at least since 2002’s Baba, has largely surrounded collections. Rajinikanth’s third collaboration with director Shankar — 2.0 — is no different.
With the budget pegged at over Rs 500 crore, its box-office returns are being monitored by not just stakeholders, but the average cinema-goer too.
2.0 had a massive opening around the world, despite it being a week day, and the Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar-starrer garnered the biggest opening day collections for a Tamil film in Chennai at Rs 2.65 crore, beating the likes of Vijay’s Sarkar and Mersal, Ajith’s Vivegam, and Rajini’s other 2018 release: Kaala.
Rajinikanth is perhaps the most popular Tamil star in India now and opening day collections stand testament to this. Dil Raju, distributor of 2.0’s Telugu version, puts its opening day collections at `21.5 crore. “It is an impressive opening considering it is a dubbed film.” However, some industry sources say that collections have since nosedived.
The Hindi version, expected to do well with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar playing the antagonist, didn’t disappoint either, clocking Rs 20.25 crore on day one and `18 crore on the second. Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh noted earlier that the unprecedented response to the Hindi version and weekend booking trends suggest that it could perform on par with Baahubali in the Hindi-speaking belt. However, that official collections of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’s Hindi version was a massive `41 crore on its Friday release and Rs 46.5 crore on Sunday.
2.0, India’s first film to be completely shot in 3D, has been released in two audio formats (ATMOS and SRL4D) and three visual formats (2D, 3D and IMAX). But while 3D shows have been running to packed houses, the 2D version paints a different picture.
“Audience seem to prefer 3D because the film is rich on visuals, and they want to watch it in the best possible format,” says Shanmugasundaram of Udhayam Multiplex in Chennai, which is playing both versions. Certain theatre owners also complain about the ‘pressurised’ increase in ticket pricing, and say it is a deterrent.
Running to packed houses over the weekend, especially in theatres where SRL4D sound systems have been installed, it will be interesting to see whether the momentum can be sustained. With the IMAX version expected to hit screens next week and more theatre owners inclined to install SRL4D sound systems, a repeat audience also looks possible.
While trade reports suggest 2.0 has been successful overseas, it’s too early to tell. What can be said with certainty is that its success doesn’t lie in just box-office numbers, but in revolutionising theatre-going experience. On that note, 2.0 is a definite game changer for Indian cinema.