BOX OFFICE PREVIEW: Tiger Zinda Hai Ready To Hunt Down Box Office Records
2017 was an economical wound. The biggest bets of Bollywood have regularly disappointed viewers. Be it SRK’s Jab Harry Met Sejal or Salman Khan’s own Tubelight. But come the end of the year, Salman Khan is ready with this year’s biggest project, Tiger Zinda Hai. The movie is a sequel of 2012 superhit Ek Tha Tiger. The story resumes after eight years from where it was left. India spy Tiger and Pakistani agent Zoya this time rescues 25 Indian nurses held captive by the ISIS.
With songs Kuch nahi and Dil diyan gallan already chartbusting and advance tickets booming, there is some warm buzz awaiting its release. The movie may revive Katrina Kaif’s current forlorn career. She has suffered some big flops in recent times and is desperately waiting for a comeback in Bollywood. Currently, the Box Office is occupied by Fukrey Returns which has done exceptionally well and would happily hand over the market to Tiger Zinda Hai.
The movie rides on a heavy budget of Rs.140 crores (excluding Salman Khan’s fee), which makes it YRF’s biggest bet in the market in this year. The movie would release on 4000 screens. A lot swings on the line with Tiger Zinda Hai. Primarily, Salman Khan’s reputation as the biggest star of the industry and even if any remote chances the movie does not do well in the cinemas, Katrina Kaif’s hopes of changing fortunes would be brushed off.
Salman’s last movie Tubelight was rejected by the fans and he would want to woo them with his trademark thriller. Sublime business is what everyone expects. The only anticipated fear for the distributors would be Salman Khan’s unrealistic action sequences, which turned out fatal for Jai Ho (2014). Unpredictability is certainly looming over. It will be interesting to see how the film competes with previous numbers. The biggest factor, however, will be the word of mouth. If it is good, the movie expectedly heads on to challenge Salman’s previous blockbuster, Bajrangi Bhaijaan (lifetime domestic collection: Rs.426 crores), if word of mouth goes negative, the movie could well wind up in Rs.350 crores. In both cases, it might surpass its sequel’s collection- Rs.320 crores.
So, will Salman Khan be able to manifest his Bollywood’s bhai image and wave 2017 off with a profitable blockbuster, or will unpredictability get the better of Bollywood yet again?
22nd December will have the answers.
