Bheemla Nayak, the Telugu film led by actors Pawan Kalyan and Rana Daggubati, has collected Rs 80 crore (gross) at the box-office in its first three days in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Anupam Reddy, Secretary of the Telangana State Film Chamber of Commerce, tells Silverscreen India. The film hit the big screens on Friday.
The official Telugu remake of the hit Malayalam film Ayyappanum Koshiyum, Bheemla Nayak was released in Andhra Pradesh under the existing rules with capped ticket prices and only four shows a day. However, the Telangana government had granted theatre owners permission to run a special fifth show for the film, while the High Court there had previously passed an interim order allowing theatres to increase the ticket prices for Bheemla Nayak and a few other films.
Reddy says the film is being received well by the audiences. “It recorded 100% occupancy on its first day. On Saturday, the occupancy rate was about 70%, and this increased to 90% on Sunday, on an average across both the states,” he notes.
He further says that the film collected Rs 57 crore (gross) and Rs 40 crore (producer share) during its first two days in the Telugu speaking states.
Moreover, Reddy adds that the film has likely entered the 100-crore club if its global collection is accounted for.
Balgovind Raj Tadla, Secretary of the Greater Telangana Exhibitors Association, says, “After a gap of two months following Akhanda and Pushpa, Bheemla Nayak has once again drawn audiences back to the theatres. It is also the first film of the year to have a massive opening.”
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Tadla further adds that the special fifth show has boosted the performance of the film. “We ran the fifth show at 7.15 am and it was about 70-80% full. The fifth show has given a chance for those who cannot make it to screenings through the day owing to other commitments, to catch the film. Many people have made use of the special show that way,” he says.
He adds that word-of-mouth from the audience of the special morning show has helped the film gain momentum. “So far, close to 8,400 people have watched the film during the fifth show. When these people go out and express their thoughts about the film, the publicity does magic for the film.”
Bheemla Nayak is directed by Saagar K Chandra, with dialogues and screenplay by Trivikram. The film, backed by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi under the Sithara Entertainments banner, also stars Nithya Menen and Samyuktha.