Furious 8 Might Not Score 100 Cr In India; Begum Jaan To Remain Unaffected

Furious 7 had collected over Rs 100 crores in India. What are your predictions about The Fate of the Furious?
There are two kinds of projection systems in India— DCI-compliant 2K projectors and normal projectors. All Hollywood films release in 2K projectors. Furious 7 released not just in 2K projectors but also in the normal ones. Therefore, it got a much higher screen count than what Hollywood films normally get in India. The Fate of the Furious is releasing only in 2K projectors and will get 1600-1700 odd screens. It is releasing today in some 1600 screens across India. It will be releasing in some more screens on Friday but the number will not go beyond 1700. Since it is releasing with a significantly lower screen count than its earlier one, it will be a big task for the movie to earn Rs 100 crores.

Among the Bollywood releases, Begum Jaan is hitting theatres this Friday. What are your predictions about it?
It will have a much more limited release with 1100 odd screens. Looks like the film will not take a huge opening but it might grow with the word of mouth. I think it should collect around Rs 3-3.5 crores on its day one and around 11-11.5 crores in its first weekend.

Do you think the two movies are going to eat up each other’s business?
I don’t think so. Begum Jaan is an out and out mass film. Furious will have a very different audience from Begum Jaan. The kind of people who will watch Furious will probably not watch Begum Jaan, whereas the ones who will throng theatres for Begum Jaan might not choose to watch Furious. So there is no chance of the two films eating into each other’s business. I think there is great space to accommodate both.