Housefull 5 is arriving in theatres this Friday, and it is being released in two versions with two different endings. The makers are aiming to attract audiences with a separate climax for each version, and the comedy drama is being released in 5000 screens around India.
However, the overall response in terms of advance booking has not been so good. The shows are not sold out yet, despite that the bookings were opened last week on Saturday.
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As per the latest update, around 30,000 tickets have been sold so far in the three big chains in India, including PVRInox and Cinepolis.
The pre-sale numbers should have been around 40,000, and the current situation is not even close to that.
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Theatre owners and distributors are still expecting the film to sell 42,000 tickets by Thursday, and it will possibly pick up if the response is positive on Day 1. By tomorrow night, 1 lakh tickets might be sold, which is too low compared to expectations.
Although 2 lakh tickets have been expected to be sold in advance, hardly 50% tickets have been booked.
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For now, the film might not take an opening of Rs. 25 crores and it might be somewhere between Rs. 18-20 crores if word-of-mouth is positive and the spot bookings are up to the mark.
Back in 2019, Housefull 4 took an opening of Rs. 17 crores despite arriving on a pre-Diwali weekend. Although it turned out to be successful, Housefull 5 taking an opening of Rs. 18-20 crores is shameful for such a popular franchise.
Despite being a big comedy franchise, the film is not getting amazing advance booking compared to the first four entries, where tickets were sold out in 2-3 days.
Moreover, the ticket rates are also high, specifically for the morning shows, which could be something that is not being accepted by the audience.
The film is not releasing on an extended weekend, which means that the film has to make some good recovery on the first three days. The film’s fate on the weekdays will entirely depend on how audiences respond to it from Day 1.
Things might not go well for the film if theatres turn out to be empty for the entire week.
On the other hand, Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par will arrive two weeks after Housefull 5. In case Aamir’s film receives a better response, things might become tough for Housefull 5.
Housefull 5’s current budget is reported to be Rs. 225 crores after there were initial claims that it was made with Rs. 375 crores.
The makers might have recovered a portion of the budget with satellite and digital rights, but the film still has a long way to go to emerge as a big blockbuster.
