The much-awaited Bollywood film, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,” featuring the talented duo of Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh in lead roles, hit theaters worldwide on Friday. Produced by Karan Johar, the film has been the subject of keen anticipation, as fans and industry watchers eagerly await its box office performance. Despite premiering just a week after the high-profile “Barbenheimer” clash and facing competition from Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” early indicators suggest that “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” is off to a promising start.
On its opening day, the film managed to garner an impressive Rs 11.5 crore from Indian theaters, according to early estimates by industry tracker Sacnilk. Although the figure falls slightly short of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which opened at Rs 14.5 crore, it remains a commendable start for the Karan Johar production. Amongst the opening day collections of Hindi films in 2023, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” secured the fifth spot, with the top four spots occupied by “Pathaan” (Rs 57 crore), “Adipurush” (Rs 36 crore), “Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan” (Rs 15.81 crore), and “Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar” (Rs 15.73 crore), as reported by Bollywood Hungama.
The film’s performance at the box office was marked by a steady increase in occupancy rates throughout the day. It began with a 12% occupancy during the morning shows in the Hindi market and later witnessed growth to 15.80% for afternoon shows, 20.18% for evening shows, and an impressive 36.85% for night shows. This upward trajectory indicates a positive response from audiences and bodes well for its future prospects.
Critically, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” has garnered mixed reviews. In the Indian Express Shubhra Gupta described the film as featuring “ginormous sets, blingy naach-gaana, and a lot of emotions, but little originality.” While the film boasts a grand production design and captivating song-and-dance sequences, it falls short of offering a truly unique and original narrative.
As the film continues its theatrical run, it will be interesting to see how it sustains its momentum and competes with other releases in the coming weeks. Karan Johar’s track record as a producer has been impressive, and with the star power of Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” has the potential to charm audiences and make a significant impact at the box office.