Befikre Has Good Start At Multiplexes

Befikre has taken a good opening of around 40-45% with multiplexes in big cities starting very well. The film has been kept away from single screens with the release going to just 400 single screens probably due to demonetizing and means better average occupancy as the single screen opening is less but as they are limited overall occupancy is higher. This could actually work its favour in long run as well as it would have found it hard there like most rom com films. The multiplex screen count is a healthy 1700 which is four times more that single screens. The film does not have issues about recovery has as generated good revenues from non theatrical revenue sources which has covered most of the cost but theatrical box office is the ultimate judge and only with this does the team really benefit. The Friday morning has started well as the city youth has come but evenings may not grow from this start as its not for the evening audience but growth will have to come over the weekend.

The genre is tough for box office numbers as if we take out Tanu Weds Manu Returns which was a rom-com but for the Hindi heartland while generally Hindi rom-coms are for the big cities and if we count them only then the highest is Coctail which itself was a poor film but got an initial due to the music but could not really hold after week one. Some sort of growth should come for Befikre over the weekend but the genre does find it hard to sustain and thats where Befikre will have to do what most rom-coms fail to do.

Ranveer Singh has had two major hits in Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani but both films have been driven by regional business, the former by Gujarat and the later by Maharashtra and this film has opened well in Gujarat multiplexes even though content is probably not for that area. The best markets for the content are Delhi and Punjab but they are very cast driven and Ranveer Singh has not penetrated these pockets so remains to be seen how North goes over the weekend.