Ram Charan's Peddi Or Varun Dhawan's Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai - Trade Experts Predict Highest Opener

Cinema

is back in its full glory. The first week of June calls for theatres to run around the clock to accommodate as many as three big Hindi releases and two Hollywood titles. All of them are backed by major production houses and feature actors with loyal fandom. To begin with, Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor’s Telugu sports drama Peddi arrives across the world on June 4. Giving the pan-India entertainer tough competition will be Varun Dhawan’s romantic comedy titled Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai on June 5. Bobby Deol’s critically acclaimed Bandar is also an equally hyped movie. The West offers The Masters Of The Universe and Scary Movie.

Box office clash between Peddi and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai

Each film comes with its strengths. The box office battle is about to intensify, and it will be interesting to see which film takes the lead on the opening day and the crucial first weekend. While Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai and Bandar are primarily made for the Hindi audience, Peddi caters to a wider market. As all eyes now move to advance booking reports, Zoom spoke to trade experts to understand their predictions for the major releases of the week.

Bandar to be dark horse of the box office?

The major competition this week is between Ram Charan and Varun Dhawan as Peddi and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai are mounted on huge scales and hold credibility. But, film producer and film business expert Girish Johar pins his hope on Bobby’s Bandar, which could be the dark horse at the box office. According to him, Peddi could take a bigger opening in South markets than Hindi, where Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai would take the lead. “In the Hindi market, Peddi should take a decent and above-average start, depending on the word of mouth. All we can hope is that it will have a strong weekend. Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is a multicast and Gen Z film and the youth are excited. This could be the number one film in the Hindi market. I am predicting a good start for this. Everything looks good here, and it is a family-favouring movie.”Johar added, “The most exciting film is Bandar. It has Bobby Deol, who is coming after Animal. Those who have watched it at previews hosted by the production house are going wild. The film is tracking well. It is a niche urban-centric film, but it can get good traction over the weekend through strong word of mouth.”

Underwhelming Hollywood releases

Talking about the bigger Hollywood release, The Masters Of The Universe, he believed that it could not generate enough buzz like other superhero and international titles. “This film is targeted towards the younger audience. I believe the promotions were a bit slow and the awareness level is quite decent and not extraordinarily high, unlike other Hollywood films. Hardcore He-Man fans will watch,” he said.Ramesh Bala opined that Peddi is ‘easily the biggest opener among the four and looks set for a massive Rs 100 crore plus India opening with huge worldwide numbers’. According to him, “Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai has good potential in the Hindi belt as a clean family youth entertainer and can surprise with strong weekend growth.” He predicts an opening around Rs 5 crore, whereas Bandar could earn around Rs 1 to 2 crore on the first day as it ‘carries solid curiosity and could grow big with word of mouth.’

Peddi vs Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai

As per Johar’s prediction, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai could surpass Peddi in the Hindi belt. “On Friday, I feel the number one film in the Hindi belt would be Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, then Peddi and very closely followed by Bandar. This is only for Friday, as the situation could change on Saturday due to word of mouth and overall reception,” he said.

On the other hand, Bala predicts, “Peddi definitely has the potential to dominate the Hindi market provided the content is excellent. It can easily co-exist with Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai and do well.”

Peddi and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai advance bookings

As of now (Wednesday morning), Peddi has 3287 shows across India, whereas Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai secured 1677 shows. While the Ram Charan starrer has sold 244906 tickets in Telugu and Hindi remains behind with 693 tickets. Varun’s rom-com has sold 3999 tickets. As per Sacnilk, Peddi has earned Rs 10.28 crore through blocked seats; Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is at Rs 95.54 lakh. Peddi and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai are in a stiff competition at the box office. The opening collection will set the foundation for their further run in theatres worldwide. Looking at the current scenario, it can be assumed that the Hollywood releases could face the brunt of clashing with two giants. If the audience finds the content enjoyable, there is a chance of its survival; otherwise, Ram Charan and Varun’s fan following in India could wash The Masters Of The Universe and Scary Movie off theatres.