Exploring reasons behind potential modest opening for Akshay Kumar's 'Sarfira'
What's the story
Trade experts predict that the upcoming film Sarfira, starring Akshay Kumar, will open in the minimal range of ₹5-6 crore.
Per Sacnilk, the film has touched a little over ₹29 lakh in advance bookings (till the time of writing), which is a shockingly low number for a film led by an A-lister.
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh, speaking to Bollywood Hungama, noted the low buzz surrounding the film stating, "The buzz is low and there's not much hype about it."
Comparison
Comparing 'Sarfira' to 'Mission Raniganj' and 'Selfiee'
Raj Bansal, the owner of Entertainment Paradise in Jaipur, told Bollywood Hungama, "The buzz is negligible. But it'll open better than Selfiee (2023) and Mission Raniganj (2023)."
"With the reports I am hearing from friends in Mumbai, the response is encouraging. It might not take a decent opening but will pick up in the subsequent shows."
While Selfiee's opening was ₹2.55 crore, MR's was ₹2.8 crore.
Box office challenges
Will a BOGO offer sink or sail the movie?
Adarsh also spoke about whether the producers should roll out a buy one, get one offer to boost hype.
"If that happens, it'll be a big letdown for a star cast film. It spoils people. Munjya and Srikanth never implemented this scheme. These are the films that everyone would have pardoned had they opted for it."
"But with Sarfira, which has a face value, the makers can't and they shouldn't opt for it."
Reasons behind projected low opening
Why is there no enthusiasm for the movie?
Multiple reasons are behind the film's lack of buzz, the first among them being the remake factor.
As is well-known, Sarfira is a remake of Soorarai Pottru, and with the easy accessibility of the Tamil film in the Hindi belt, there are no enticing factors about Sarfira.
The lack of good music (key during promotional events) is further adding to Kumar's continued dry spell.
Not to forget, his tendency to have numerous releases in a year has recently been backfiring.
Other reasons
Clash with 'Indian 2,' challenge posed by 'Kalki 2898 AD'
Sarfira has also likely set itself up for failure since it's clashing with S Shankar's Indian 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to Indian.
With Kamal Haasan at the front and a pan-Indian starcast at the back, Indian 2 has a lot going for it.
Add to it Kalki 2898 AD's money-minting spree, and Sarfira's day one chances appear gloomy.
However, the response from the press screenings has been positive, so word-of-mouth may sail the film through.
Year's top films
Does 'Sarfira' have an X factor?
It's also interesting to note that there is a common factor between the highest-grossing Hindi films of 2024.
While Fighter soared high because of its aerial action and patriotic fervor, Shaitaan had an interesting, hook-worthy story (though a remake), and Munjya's marriage of mythology and horror was like a breath of fresh air for viewers.
Sarfira's trailer, however, has been unable to sell its USP (it being real-life story), so awareness among audiences remains negligible.
The film opens on Friday.