Main Vaapas Aaunga, the latest film by Imtiaz Ali, had a lukewarm start at the box office despite some great reviews. But the tide seems to be turning for the romantic drama. Now in its second week, the film is seeing cinema chains add more shows in response to a strong audience response. This has raised hopes that the film can recover and aim for a respectable box-office total.
Main Vaapas Aaunga sees additional shows
The film’s makers reported on Saturday that major cinema chains, including PVR INOX and Cinepolis India, have added more shows of Main Vaapas Aaunga across their theatres in its second week, following a strong audience response.
The film’s distributors and exhibitors said the response to the movie has strengthened considerably over the past week. Gautam Dutta, CEO-Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX Limited, said the film’s performance reflected sustained audience interest.
“What we’re tracking closely with Main Vaapas Aaunga is the shape of its trajectory, not just the topline box office number. The film has grown steadily through the week, which is exactly the kind of trend exhibitors like to see, as it reflects genuine and sustained audience interest rather than a front-loaded opening. That’s a rare and encouraging sign, indicating that the film’s momentum is being driven by strong word-of-mouth around Imtiaz Ali’s storytelling, Naseeruddin Shah’s powerful performance, and AR Rahman’s memorable score, rather than promotional hype,” Dutta said in a statement.
Main Vaapas Aaunga withstands Cocktail 2 competition
What is truly encouraging is that Main Vaapas Aaunga has managed this reversal in fortunes despite having to contend with new releases this week. Cocktail 2, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna, opened in theatres this week and is performing quite well. Despite that, more screenings of Main Vaapas Aaunga are being held across several markets to meet growing demand.
Aditya Chowksey, distributor for the Central Provinces (CP) and Central India (CI) circuits, told news agency PTI that the film had registered significant growth over its opening-day collections. According to trade insiders, the film’s collections on the second Friday were substantially higher than its first Friday.
Main Vaapas Aaunga earned ₹3 crore net on its first Friday-Saturday. A week later, the film increased that figure to ₹6.25 crore net. It registered a 130% jump on its second Saturday, compared with Friday’s earnings.
About Main Vaapas Aaunga
Main Vaapas Aaunga, a Partition-era romantic drama that unfolds across two timelines and generations, released in cinemas across the country on June 12. It stars Diljit Dosanjh, Naseeruddin Shah, Sharvari and Vedang Raina in the lead roles. The film is produced by Applause Entertainment and Birla Studios along with Mohit Choudhary and Shibasish Sarkar.