Welcome to the Jungle advance booking: Analysts eye ₹15-20 crore opening

On June 26, the multi-starrer Welcome to the Jungle will hit theatres. Fans are naturally excited about the actor's return to full-fledged comedy, but it appears to be off to a slow start

 

Akshay Kumar returns to the comedy genre with Welcome to the Jungle, which releases on June 26. While advance bookings have remained modest so far, trade analysts believe the franchise's popularity and the Muharram holiday could boost opening-day collections.

 

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has awarded the UA 16+ certificate to the Ahmed Khan-directed film, which features a huge ensemble cast. Trade analysts claim that the movie's first-day advance booking has surpassed Rs 1 crore, indicating a slow start.

 

Welcome to the Jungle advance booking sales

 

A day before its release, Welcome to the Jungle's advance booking collection was less than Rs 1 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. On June 23, advance booking opened. With 40,112 tickets sold in 6253 shows, the Hindi-language movie has barely made Rs 91.78 lakhs in India without reserved seats.

 

 

The average cost of a ticket is Rs 232. The total rises to Rs 2.77 crore with reserved seats. Mumbai made Rs 11.6 lakh from advance booking sales without reserved seats, while the Delhi NCR region sold tickets for Rs 18.35 lakh.

 

Industry expert, Atul Mohan on Welcome to the Jungle’s collection

 

The trade analyst Atul Mohan quoted by The Indian Express disclosed that the film’s advance booking has already exceeded Rs 1 crore. “There is a good buzz about the movie, and the advance bookings also look decent.”

 

“The day 1 earnings are over Rs 1 crore. The film will make the most from spot-on bookings, because it’s a holiday on Friday for Muharram. It’s a bank holiday, which is a huge advantage. There are a lot of enquiries at theatres for bookings”, he added.

 

He said the film will have an opening ranging between Rs 15-20 crores, especially if the paid reviews are positive. “The film looks good in terms of grandeur, trailer, and music. It looks positive overall. Most people will go for the recall value and Akshay’s comeback to comedy. Bhooth Bangla also worked really well,” Mohan added. 

 

Another industry expert, Komal Nahta, on Akshay Kumar’s film

 

Film trade analyst Komal Nahta stated to the SCREEN, “The advance bookings are looking alright. Nothing to shout about, but nothing too bad either. I cannot predict the box office collection because I haven’t watched the film. I will be watching it today.”

 

Nahta believes that it should do well at the box office because it is a popular franchise movie. He said, “Welcome franchise is loved by the public, so it’s expected to do well. There have been no preview shows so far, so it’s very difficult to tell. The trailer was okay, nothing great. But the trailer that they cut yesterday, which showcased action more than comedy, is better.”

 

Also, he made fun of Akshay's run of consecutive failures and added, “Actually, Akshay’s Bhooth Bangla did well. So, people have once again given a thumbs up to his comic films. I hope it continues. The bad patch finished with a comedy film, which suggests fans prefer him in such roles.” 

 

About Welcome to the Jungle

 

Apart from Akshay Kumar, Welcome to the Jungle also features Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Paresh Rawal, Mukesh Tiwari, Yashpal Sharma, Kiran Kumar, Zakir Hussain, Vindu Dara Singh, Urvashi Rautela and many other well-known faces.

 

The movie is produced by Firoz A Nadiadwala, Rakesh Dang, and Vedant Vikaas Baali.

 

After Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015), this action-comedy drama is the third in the well-known Welcome franchise. Imtiaz Ali's Main Vaapas Aaunga (June 12) will compete with the movie, which opens in theatres on June 26.