Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer '2.0' collects Rs 600 mn on day one

While the collection is merely half of what Baahubali 2 collected on its first day, experts believe the 2.0's prospects are bright given the positive word of mouth

Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar-starrer 2.0, the sequel to 2010’s Enthiran (Robot) has collected Rs 600 million on the first day of release. The film, made at an estimated Rs 5.5 billion released across 7000 screens in the country in three languages – Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. It has been released in both 2D and 3D format, with the latter getting more footfalls across languages.

Trade estimates peg the Hindi version collection at Rs 210 million, a commendable performance for a dubbed film. 

In terms of Hindi language releases, this is the seventh highest opening of the year.

While it is nowhere close to the first-day collection of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’s Rs 400 million haul, pundits say 2.0’s showing is good. 

“The Baahubali franchise is another orbit altogether. There’s no comparison,” says trade analyst Komal Nahta. He adds that 2.0’s performance is despite releasing on a working Thursday, when audience traffic to the cinemas is low. The Tamil, and Telugu versions collected around Rs 400 million in all.

A major pull for the Hindi speaking audiences has been the presence of Akshay Kumar in the film. While critics have given mixed-to-negative reviews for the film, almost all have commended the actor’s role and performance.  

Inclusive of all languages, the Rajnikath-starrer is the highest opener of 2018, beating Thugs of Hindostan’s opening day record of Rs 522 million. 

The Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan starrer also released in the same three languages, but had a distinct advantage that it released during the festival of Diwali. The box office performance of 2.0 is being lauded by distributors and analysts considering it released in the middle of a normal working week, and does not enjoy the advantage of a festive weekend.

The film’s massive budge, however, demands that it do well at the box office. While the producers have recovered some of the money from satellite, and streaming rights – an estimates Rs 1.9 billion, it still needs to collect at least Rs 5 to 6 billion at the box office to break even and make money for everyone in the film’s production, distribution and exhibition eco-system. 

Given the first day collection, the positive word of mouth, and the four-day weekend, experts believe the film may just achieve this.

2.0 was released in nearly 3500 screens overseas, and initial trends from these locaitons indicate that the film has fared average to well overseas. One of the main draws of the film in India is the visual effects and CGI, and 3D production. 

However, these aspects of cinema are not a novelty for the cinemagoers in places like USA, UK and Australia or New Zealand. The estimated collection from the overseas marketing on the first day is Rs 210 million from USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Collection Tally

Tamil and Telugu – Rs 400 million

Hindi – Rs 210 million

Total domestic - Rs 610 million

Overseas – Rs 210 million (early estimates)

Source: Industry estimates