Have you seen it? What’s the opening collection? Those two questions are likely to dominate most conversations tomorrow as Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par hits the screens. This, not just because it’s the superstar’s release after almost three years, but also because it will be the first Bollywood film to not have an OTT release post its theatrical run. Trade sources say the RS Prasanna-directed venture will open in the range of Rs 11-12 crore.
“Its first-day figures will be around Rs 11-12 crore. Laal Singh Chaddha too had opened at Rs 11 crore,” says a trade source.
One would have expected a bigger opening for Khan’s film. But exhibitor Raj Bansal argues that such an opening is not concerning, given the film’s genre. Sitaare… tells the story of an arrogant basketball coach, whose perspective on life is changed by a group of neurodivergent kids. “It’s a tricky subject to handle. Also, it’s not for the masses. How Aamir has handled the subject [will determine] whether families come to theatres. An Aamir film should have opened bigger, but his last two films didn’t fare well at the box office. That’s a deterrent. If the film is appreciated, it can jump to R16-18 crore collections on day two, and take a jump of 40 per cent on Sunday,” he says.
Sources reveal that Khan has told theatres to not play any show before 11 am tomorrow, and have limited shows before 6 pm. Freelance journalist and trade expert Fenil Seta explains, “By having limited showcasing until 6 pm, all shows will enjoy a good occupancy. After that, the footfall will anyway increase.”
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Screens across which Sitaare Zameen Par will open