unbelievable! That could be the word to describe the box office phenomenon that Brahmastra has turned out. Never before has a movie been such a rage in the 10 days leading up to its release as it has happened for this Karan Johar production. Usually when a movie opens huge and over Rs. 30 crores, it’s an event release that has been hyped for years on end with mostly positive vibes surrounding it.

Pick one of these movies and the reaction would be the same – KGF – Chapter 2 [Hindi], War, Criminals of Hindustan, Happy New Year, Bharat, Baahubali – The Conclusion [Hindi], Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Sultan, Dhoom: 3, Tiger Zinda Hai, Chennai Express, Ek Tha Tiger, Singham Returns or Weather Golmaal. Each of these is either a franchise or a festival release. However, Sanjuc and Brahmastraboth non-holiday and non-franchise releases, are the only ones that still find a place at the top and both are Ranbir Kapoor stars meaning how the youngster stands up straight.

Sanjuc still had the benefit of positive pressure for everything, especially since Rajkumar Hirani directed it and it was also Sanjay Dutt’s biopic. On the other hand Brahmastra was years in the making and had to weather a lot of storms until about 10 days before release with the air of negativity much more prevalent. However, a series of marketing and promotional exercises changed the story and the wind started to blow the other way. Result? The film now has Rs. 37 crores (including Rs. 5 crores of the southern versions) and rest assured, a weekend in the range of Rs. 120 crores is comfortable on the cards!

Note: All collections according to production and distribution sources

More pages: Brahmastra – Part One: Shiva Box Office Collection, Brahmastra – Part One: Shiva Movie Review