As is wont to happen, only 10 to 15% of a South Indian film’s collections come from Hindi markets. In the case of 2.0, that percentage has risen to almost half. While the film’s worldwide collections so far have grossed ₹500 crore — a huge feat for a Tamil film — the Hindi version alone has amassed ₹129.70 crore net in a week. It’s the fourth this year to cross ₹100 crore in just the first week after Sanju (₹200 crore net), Padmaavat (₹142.35 crore net) and Race 3 (₹139.97 crore net).
But when a film — one that stars superstar Rajnikanth — has an eye-popping budget of ₹550 crore, breaking even in the first week is expected. Plus it released to 7,500 screens (all versions) in the country and will make its way to 10,000 Chinese cinemas (a whopping 56,000 screens) in May 2019 as Tweeted by the film’s producers, Lyca Productions. No stone is being left unturned to force 2.0 ’s success. The box office collections will shortly and surely surpass the cost put in, but the profit margins at the moment aren’t very impressive. In comparison, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion was made on a budget of ₹250 crore and the Hindi version was released to 4,000 screens. Within a week, it had made ₹245 crore net. “[ 2.0 ] will recover its cost from a theatrical release [during its lifetime in cinemas],” says Shailesh Kapoor of Ormax Media, a firm specialising in trade insights. He adds that deals after the film’s theatrical life will further bump up the figures. “₹100 crore for satellite and digital combined is not unusual these days.” Enthiran , 2.0 ’s predecessor, which released in 2010 is still playing on television.
At the moment 2.0 is performing well in both single screens and metros. “The 3D element is bringing people to the multiplexes and the 2D film is working in single screens because most of them don’t have the tech to show 3D films,” says Kapoor. “Multiplexes in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru has taken to the 3D version.” At first, screen timings were in in the 60:40 ratio for 2D and 3D screenings which is expected to entirely swing [up to 80%] in the favour of the latter in the film’s second week. With Kedarnath ’s release, there has been a slight drop in 2.0 ’s occupancy which is expected to pick up over the weekend. The two films are starkly different and trade analysts are certain that there will be little if any audience overlap between them. Plus, the week after this (December 14) sees the release of a small contender: Mangal Ho . Rajnikanth’s sci-fi blockbuster has two clear weeks to sweep the box office.
