After a long delay due to the Covid-19 outbreak, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much-anticipated blockbuster, Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt in the eponymous character, finally hit theatres this weekend, setting the cash registers ringing for a Bollywood film in a long time. The film was expected to fare well after receiving positive reviews at the Berlinale. However, the film outperformed all forecasts, grossing Rs. 37.25 crore in its first weekend in Hindi.

The film had a strong weekend in Mumbai, Nizam-Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, but did poorly in the north and center areas of India. The film reached capacity in Maharashtra, ruling away the possibility of exponential expansion over the weekend. However, because the original demand was not met over the weekend owing to capacity constraints, the picture is projected to hold up well throughout the weekdays, indicating a stable box office trend.

The Delhi-NCR circuit and the East Punjab Circuit have not gotten going for Bollywood films since Covid-19, and it would be interesting to watch which picture crosses that barrier. At the time, it appears that we will have to wait for Heropanti 2 because the films now in theatres are not suitable for North American audiences.

With a budget of around Rs. 175 crores (including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s and Alia Bhatt’s estimated remuneration), the film needs to make Rs. 100 crores net in India and $7 million overseas to make a profit for everyone, especially since the filmmakers have already made an impressive Rs. 115 crores from non-theatrical sources of revenue such as satellite, digital, and music.

According to the current trajectory, breaking the Rs. 100 crore net threshold appears to be a certain conclusion unless something goes tragically wrong during the weekdays. With strong weekend box office results, Alia Bhatt has cemented her position as the most bankable female performer of the moment, while Sanjay Leela Bhansali confirms his reputation as a financially sound filmmaker.

The day-wise net collections of Gangubai Kathiawadi are as follows:-
Day 1 – Rs. 9.50 cr
Day 2 – Rs. 12.75 cr
Day 3 – Rs. 15 cr
Total net weekend collections – Rs. 37.25 cr

Valimai, starring Ajith Kumar, and Bheemla Nayak, starring Pawan Kalyan, were among the regional blockbusters competing with the film. Even though those two films had higher initials than Gangubai Kathiawadi, Gangubai Kathiawadi had surpassed them in terms of day-to-day figures not just in India but also internationally by Sunday.