Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan has registered the biggest opening day in the history of Hindi cinema. The film minted Rs 57 crore in India alone and grossed over Rs 104 crore worldwide on its first day. If that seems impressive, you may be surprised that day two has already seen a much higher footfall in theatres on account of being a national holiday. This has led to several shows being housefull across the country.
In a video shared by a Shah Rukh Khan fan club, fans of the actor are discussing these full theatres and making a rather interesting plea to the media. The video shows a fan saying in Hindi, “We can’t find tickets. You guys are from so many different channels. If you find tickets, I am willing to buy one for Rs 10,000 too. Just get me one. I will go.” When a mediaperson asks him if he is willing to spend that much on a film ticket, the fan replies, “Chalega (It will work),” to loud cheers from other fans behind him.
Sharing the video on Twitter, an SRK fan club captioned it, “#Pathaan on its second day facing a capacity issue. People outside the theatre demand tickets even at a high price. Mass!” Many other fans of the actor praised the gesture, while others wondered where there was such scarcity of tickets. “The footfall is good but what is this place where everything is sold out. Even Delhi halls have tickets,” commented one.
Pathaan saw an average occupancy of 45% on Wednesday across over 8000 shows in India, netting it Rs 55 crore in Hindi and Rs 2 crore in dubbed versions. Initial data for Thursday shows a 30% increase in occupancy in the morning shows and a whopping 120% for the afternoon shows. This trend suggests that the film may cross the Rs 60-crore barrier in nett collections for day two.
