Box-Office Predictions: Arjun Rampal’s Daddy And Hollywood’s Horror Flick ‘IT’

This weekend will be a light affair for the box-office with the release Daddy and the feature adoption of Stephen King’s 1986 novel, ‘IT’. Both the films will start on a lower note, but has good ability to grow with each passing day.

Arjun Rampal returns to the big screen with his movie Daddy in which he plays the character of Arun Gawli- once India’s most feared gangster. The trailer looks raw and carries a lot of intensity. Despite lacking the commercial elements, Daddy has created decent pre-release buzz.

The cinematic depiction of the larger than life gangster Arun Gawli’s escalation into politics is the major theme of Daddy. The likes of actor Arjun Rampal and director Ashim Ahluwalia set the bar high for the film. Daddy lacks chartbuster tracks, but the music by Sajid-Wajid hits the right tone and supports the mood of the film.

Looking at the trend, Daddy will open between Rs 2.5-3 crore. This is majorly because of the lack of promotion of the movie. However, the film has full potential to grow at the box-office. The box-office scenario might repeat itself as last week’s release Shubh Mangal Savdhan also opened on a lower note, but saw a solid growth over the weekend. If Daddy debuts to good critical reception and strong word of mouth, the above scenario is quite possible. The Arjun Rampal starrer will face screen constraints because of its niche target audience.

The other release of the week is the anticipated horror flick- ‘IT’. The Andy Muschietti film has been making headlines since the release of its trailer. Based on the 1986 novel by Stephen King, ‘IT’ has been crowned as one of the most promising horror flicks of the 21st Century by the critics.

The Warner Bros. movie will get a wide release in India and considering our affection for horror flicks, and the recent success of Annabelle: Creation, ‘IT’ is expected to perform on a positive note. An Rs 3-3.5 crore opening will set the film on the right track in India.

Talking of the International box-office, ‘IT’ is expected to open above $60 million mark making it the biggest September opener of all time. (A report by Box-office MOJO). The film is also set to become the biggest R-rated horror opening leaving behind the 2002 Hannibal’s $58 million record.

Both the new releases will face stiff competition from last week’s Baadshaho and Shubh Mangal Savdhan. The former has hit a dent at the box-office and we will see a further fall, however the latter is growing strong with each passing day. It will be an interesting box-office battle and probably Shubh Mangal Savdhan will score the lead.