Ram Setu advance booking at ₹1.5 crore, Akshay Kumar film likely to earn only half as much as Sooryavanshi on day one

This Diwali sees the release of two Hindi films on Tuesday. Given its connection to the Ramayan and the huge scale it has, Akshay Kumar’s Ram Setu has generated the better buzz. The film is expected to beat its rival–Ajay Devgn and Sidharth Malhotra’s Thank God. But it’s numbers are not going to be anywhere near last year’s Diwali hit–Sooryavanshi which also starred Akshay. As per trade sources, the film may just about manage to earn more than half of what Sooryavanshi managed on its day one. Also read: Ram Setu song Jai Shree Ram merges religion and science. Watch

Ram Setu, directed by Maneesh Sharma, also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha. The film is an action adventure set around the mythical Ram Setu (Adam’s Bridge) mentioned in the Ramayana. Given that Diwali is celebrated to mark Lord Ram’s return to Ayodhya in the same epic, the film is being timed to evoke the popular sentiments.

As per trade tracker Sacnilk, Ram Setu has seen advance booking of ₹1.7 crore for day one by Monday evening. The figure is expected to reach around ₹2 crore by the time advance booking closes later on Monday night. As per trade sources, the film is likely to earn somewhere around ₹12-14 crore on day one in nett domestic collections. The figure can go as high as ₹16-17 crore if it is received well by critics and generates positive word of mouth. The figure is higher than what Thank God is expected to rake in on Tuesday ( ₹10-12 crore).

However, in terms of Diwali releases, the number ranks quite low. Akshay’s own film–last year’s Rohit Shetty actioner Sooryavanshi minted ₹26.5 crore at the box office. Ram Setu would have to do well to earn half of that. Anything higher would mean the film has done well. However, given the lean period for Bollywood films in 2022, that number may mean it would end up as one of the best openings for a Hindi film this year. Given that Ram Setu has a five-day extended weekend, a good word of mouth can lead to the film putting up a formidable haul for the first weekend and set itself on course for a healthy lifetime gross. But that will largely depend on the content and how the audience receives it.