Fox could well be smiling from ear to ear. When they spent a fortune making the film and the procuring rights of the real footage from BCCI, many wondered if it would all turn out to be worth it. After all, the only biopic to have really well in the recent times was Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and that had Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Farhan Akhtar coming together. While Neeraj Pandey indeed carries good reputation as a director and Sushant Singh Rajput too has established his worth as an actor, the ROI [return on investment] for M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story had to be much bigger if it were to be a hit.
Well, that has now happened indeed, what with 94.13 crore coming in at the Box Office in one week flat.
Fox played their game well because even though they spent 84 crore (not including the cost of marketing) into making the film, they also ensured that there was good ground covered even outside revenues expected from theatrical sales.
Sushant Singh Rajput in a still from M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
First step in this direction was to earn revenue worth 15 crore from in-film spots. In addition, they also incorporated music in the film while also heating up the film well as a family affair. That also earned them a very good slot for satellite deals and eventually that along with music further brought in 45 crore. With 60 crore already in their kitty before release, it was time to up the ante.
Next step was to give the film a massive global release that went way beyond 5000 screens. This translated into a major perception around the film being a biggie in the offering. Bulk bookings further helped the cause and a Day One of 21.3 crore took the game to an altogether different level. From this point on, there was no looking back for the film. Yes, given the weekend collections of 66 crore, the film could well have enjoyed a Week One of 100 crore as well. However, even though it has not managed to do that, collections to the tune of 94.13 crore are still remarkable by a huge distance.
The film has been retained at a good number of shows despite the arrival of another biggie, Mirzya. Though this would mean that there would be a hit in collections today, good growth is expected on Saturday and Sunday as this is when family crowds would be back in theaters to watch the film.
Another film in the running, Pink, has fetched 64 crore* so far and is a Superhit already. It has to be seen how much further does it go beyond the 66-67 crore mark now.
Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources
