South Indian films are wrecking havoc in the pan-India circuit. Not so long ago, Pushpa emerged as a Rs 100 crore nett film in the Hindi belt. Then came RRR which has clocked over Rs 200 crores nett and is inching closer towards Rs 250 crore mark.
Cut to now, KGF 2 is deemed to be on course to potentially register a Rs 175 crore 4-day weekend. It is clearly evident that South India’s pan-India outings are the real deal now. However, KGF 2 could well be the end of pan-India outings, albeit momentarily.
Notably, there are no major pan-India outings in the next few months. The next proper pan-India outing might be Salaar, which is likely to release next summer.
There are reports that RRR star Ram Charan’s Acharya might be released in Hindi, but with just two weeks to go for the film’s release(29 April), and zero promotions to back it up, the efficacy of this film in the pan-India circuit can’t be determined now.
Then there is Ranbir Kapoor, Nagarjuna, and Alia Bhatt’s Bramhastra which is being promoted as a pan-India film, but as things stand, this film might find it tough to penetrate the South Indian market. There is Adivi Sesh’s Major as well. This film too is in the grey area and its pan-India prospects are unclear.
Had Pushpa 2 commenced the shoot soon after the completion of the first part, it might have been the next true pan-India outing. But this film did not even hit the floors yet, so it might not release till next summer, if not later. As things stand, Salaar is the next best-suited pan-India outing and it might be a good 12 months before the film releases.
This could come as a breather to Bollywood films as the Hindi theatrical industry is bombarded by South Indian cinema’s pan-India outings which are setting the box office on fire. Even mainstream biggies like 83, Bachchan Pandey, and Attack fell prey to South Indian outings and that goes on to prove the same.
