Real or hype? Brahmastra is making money, but it needs much more before it can be a true hit

Will Brahmastra – Part One: Shiva be the saviour for Bollywood in a year that can only be described as forgettable? By the looks of it, the film will do well but not well enough to leave money on the table for the producers.

Let’s get a few facts out of the way. By far, this is the most expensive film to come out of Bollywood and has hit the theatres right after two disasters –- Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan – even though it had the biggest stars of the day. In that sense, the pressure on Brahmastra has been enormous and can be described as brutal.

Manoj Desai, a producer and executive director of the Mumbai-based G7 multiplex and Maratha Mandir, is blunt when he speaks of the situation in the Hindi film industry. “This year has been terrible and we need a hit badly. Brahmastra had a good opening weekend but all depends on how it does from Monday,” he says. The last six months in particular, as he describes, has been a nightmare and there is a big need for good news.

Brahmastra has been primarily produced by Star Studios (now owned by Disney) that has put in at least Rs 300 crore. The other parts come from Prime Focus, which contributes to the estimated Rs 100 crore of VFX, Karan Johar, Ayan Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor. The movie has a star cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor (his recent release Shamshera was a lemon at the box-office), Alia Bhatt, among others. The grand plan is to have a trilogy, but a lot will understandably depend on how well the first part does.    

The satellite and digital rights have picked up by Disney. Though the numbers are not official, industry trackers estimate it will be to the extent of Rs 150 crore. “A lot rides on the box-office collection and if that disappoints, the satellite and digital rights figures may be reworked. For Disney Star, the film has to do well to go ahead with the sequel,” says one person familiar with the development.  

On the trade front, there is a relief that a film has finally done well after a long wait. Film producer and business analyst, Girish Johar is happy with the way it has turned out during the opening weekend, pointing out that it is a great performance given the backdrop of the pandemic. “We are optimistic it will do well. Clearly Disney Star’s strategy is the IPR route but one needs to know what the plan for the sequel is,” he says.

Optimism married with a lot of patience and caution it seems like.    

Also read: Brahmastra box office collection: Ranbir-Alia film collects between Rs 14.50-16.5 cr on day 4

Also read: Brahmastra box office collection Day 3: Ranbir-Alia starrer earns Rs 225 cr worldwide