Made on an expansive budget of Rs 410 crore, Brahmastra has come as a ray of hope, suggests film trade analyst Taran Adarsh. He says, “Brahmastra is a very significant film. As we know the last few weeks have been terrible for the Hindi film industry. We have had disaster after disaster. The sad part was that the films were not picking up at all. Shows were being cancelled, and this was happening for big star cast films. Somewhere down the line, the content was to be blamed and trailers could not send out the right signals. So, all in all, it has been a very depressing phase. But the advance booking of Brahmastra has brought in some cheer and a ray of hope. Hopefully, things will improve starting with this film.”

Good advance bookings

Brahmastra has already sold over one lakh tickets in one of the leading cinema chains, PVR. Taran noted that for the film to ensure a good opening weekend, it would be important for its advance booking to stay strong till Thursday night. Also, as per him, the spot bookings will play a key role in the film’s opening day collection, and the early indicators suggest an opening box office collection of over Rs 25 crore. In film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi’s opinion, “We are probably looking at the top opener since we emerged from the pandemic.”

The fantasy adventure drama, Brahmastra is high on VFX as it establishes a universe of superheroes who safeguard the weapons (astras) that harness the power of elements. The makers have promised a 3D spectacle and a great blend of desi track into the fantasy genre. Besides Alia and Ranbir, it stars Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, and Mouni Roy in pivotal roles. Shah Rukh Khan makes a cameo appearance in the film and Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi has lent his voice as the film’s narrator.

Releasing in around 8000 screens across the globe

To film producer and trade expert, Girish Johar, Brahmastra looks “bullish” and with its promotion strategy in place, “the traction of the film is quite high.” He says Disney, the co-producer of the film, is “going all out in releasing the film on more than 8000 screens across the globe, and 5000 in India.” He also believes the studio has shown confidence in the film by attaching the trailers of their biggest franchises, Avatar 2 and Black Panther 2 to it. Pegging the film’s opening day collection in the range of Rs 23-25 crore, he adds that the film’s advance bookings are second best after Yash’s KGF: Chapter 2.

Ever since the theaters reopened after coronavirus-induced-restrictions, the only Bollywood films to translate their opening day success into a good lifetime number at the ticket counters were Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi and Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Sooryavanshi opened with a collection of Rs 26 crore and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 earned Rs 14.11 crore on day one. Now, Girish is certain that Brahmastra will “definitely surpass the opening day collection of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.”

What makes Brahmastra different from recent Bollywood box-office debacles

Girish believes Brahmastra isn’t guilty of issues that have plagued other recent releases: lack of originality, compelling content and lack of a spectacular big screen experience. “It’s an Indian-rooted film. It has big stars. It has mythology, the music is good, and Ayan has a good track record. It’s looking different and is a big-scale film. It is meant for a big screen experience.”

Brahmastra has been marketed as a pan-India film. A few days ago, SS Rajamouli, who seems to have a Midas touch, and superstar Jr NTR, joined Alia, Ranbir and film’s co-producer Karan Johar in promoting the film in Hyderabad. With Rajamouli coming on board, the film’s chances of having a successful run in the southern states have increased manifold.

Akshaye Rathi opines, “SS Rajamouli brings a lot of credibility and weightage to a film like this. Nagarjuna Akkineni is playing an important role in this and Chiranjeevi, who is among the biggest superstars in the history of Telugu cinema, has lent his voice as the narrator of the film. So, a lot of elements are at play. I hope it becomes one of those very few Hindi films that have managed to earn well in the southern markets.”

Having watched the 15-minute footage of the film in 3D, Akshaye vouches for it and suggests it be watched on the big screen as “the quality of VFX truly makes for a theatrical experience which cannot be replicated in any other format.”

For things to go well for Brahmastra beyond its release day, it will require good word of mouth and content that can attract audience. But even if Dharma Productions and Disney fail to recover the cost of production, it will “still be a victory”. Akshaye suggests, “Even if Dharma and Disney are not able to recover the entire money that has been spent on it, it’s still a victory. The investment that has gone into it is not just for this film. It is to create digital assets for a universe that will be monetised over multiple films. All the CGI that has been done, will be used for Part 2 and 3. If they manage to strike success with the characters of this universe, there will be offshoots of this universe. The money has not gone into making a film, it has gone into creating a universe in which multiple films and shows will be based.”

Now, it remains to be seen what future holds for this film, which took almost a decade to reach the silver screen. Brahmastra releases on September 9.