The Mohit Suri directed Ek Villain Returns featuring John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani and Tara Sutaria is all set to hit the big screen tomorrow. The movie was recently certified U/A by the CBFC with an approved runtime of 128 minutes i.e. 2 hours and 8 minutes.
Being a sequel, there is a certain buzz within the industry around the film to get audiences on board on the opening day, especially in the mass belts, since the film is a blend of thriller with music and glamour. Ek Villain Returns team opened their advances on Wednesday, however, will be depending majorly on the walk in audience for the day. Mohit's last release, Malang with Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani, had taken a start of Rs 6 crore in the pre-pandemic days, though that had a better music album than Ek Villain Returns.
It's difficult to predict an opening for Ek Villain Returns, especially after what happened with Shamshera last week, but the general industry expectation falls somewhere from a pessimistic range of Rs 5 crore to an optimistic one of Rs 10 crore. Ek Villain Returns isn't exactly a film heavy on advance and hence, the opening day biz will be determined by spot bookings across the country. As far as release size is concerned, the makers are going with a wide release on about 3000 screens, and with runtime under check, it will be getting good showcasing in the national chains.
The ticket prices are kept under control with the makers opting for the same range as Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. On the advance front, the movie will be looking to clock a total advance sale in the vicinity of 15,000 to 20,000 tickets by the end of Thursday. As of Thursday noon, it has sold nearly 10,000 tickets at the three chains. The opening will definitely be better than John Abraham's last few releases, but we need to see if the film can push itself beyond what can be termed a decent opening of Rs 7 crore based on walk-in audience or does it stand at a low number based on pessimistic predictions.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for the box office coverage of Ek Villain Returns.