The grand Diwali release, Sooryaanshi, has emerged as one of the biggest hits of all time, despite the high costs and the restrictions due to the pandemic scenario. Till Monday, November 22nd, it managed to collect Rs. 180.47 cr. The movie was initially scheduled to release on March 24, 2020, before the pandemic created havoc. Also, in a crucial center like Maharashtra, it was released with 50% occupancy. So how much more would Sooryavanshi have done in pre-pandemic times and how much would it have earned if Maharashtra was open at 100% occupancy?
When asked, Taran Adarsh replied, “I think Sooryavanshi would have definitely gone beyond the Rs. 250 crore mark in the pre-Covid times. It could have also had a shot at crossing the Rs. 300 crore mark.” He also said, “With Maharashtra open at 100% occupancy, the business would have been higher.”
Komal Nahta remarked, “If there was no lockdown, it would have surely done more than Rs. 250 crore. So it’s a loss of at least Rs. 60 crore.” He also added, “If Maharashtra was open at 100% occupancy, it would have done Rs. 8-10 crore more. So it could have managed to cross the Rs. 200 crore mark.”
Akshaye Rathi, however, felt that there would have been a marginal difference, “Everyone who wanted to see the film was able to do so as there was enough showcasing despite clashes with Eternals and Annaatthe. In the non-pandemic times or the normal scenario, the business would have been just marginally higher.”
The experts also made it clear that regardless of its final lifetime numbers, Sooryavanshi has emerged as a significant film. Akshaye Rathi said, “It’s already become one of Akshay Kumar’s highest-grossing films to date despite the pandemic restrictions. So it has done its job and it has done phenomenally well. More than the collections that people are focusing on, the impact of this film is about reopening the doors of the cinemas in a big way and bringing back audiences into cinemas. For that, Sooryavanshi emerges as an iconic film in the careers of Rohit Shetty and Akshay Kumar.”
Taran Adarsh told us, “Lockdown or no lockdown, this film will go down as the one that revived the film business.” He further stated, “The multiplexes must be having a tough time in deciding the programme and in deciding how many shows should they allot to Satyameva Jayate 2, Antim – The Final Truth and even Sooryavanshi. After all, Sooryavanshi is tried-and-tested and log abhi bhi aa rahe hai dekhne.”