Main Vaapas Aaunga had a slow start at the box office but the weekday trend made it clear that the film is here to say. On its second Friday, the Imtiaz Ali directorial earned Rs. 2 crores, which was more than it’s first Friday (Rs. 1.28 crore). Meanwhile, the film has gone on an overdrive on its ninth day, that is, the second Saturday. The exhibition sector is elated with the response and have added early morning shows.
And that’s not all. PVR C&B Square in Mumbai will play the film at 2:00 am on Sunday, June 21 while PVR Nexus in Bengaluru have decided to screen the film at 6:50 am. This show is already fast filling. As per trade sources, more and more cinemas are adding shows early morning and post midnight as demand is clearly there for the film.
Exhibitors elated
Gautam Dutta, CEO – Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX Limited, said, “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 A R Rahman’s memorable score, rather than promotional hype. Even with fresh competition entering cinemas this week, the film is outperforming its first-week levels, demonstrating remarkable staying power. For a niche, content-driven Partition drama, this kind of sustained audience pull is the hallmark of a slow-burn success. We remain optimistic about its performance through the second weekend and beyond.”
Ritesh Arora, Programming Head MovieMax, revealed, “While the film had a slow start last week, it witnessed an impressive turnaround during the weekdays with steadily improving collections. The momentum has continued into the weekend, with shows going houseful and additional screenings being added to cater to the increasing audience demand.”
Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis stated, “Cinépolis India, operating 497 screens across the country, has increased shows by 30% from Friday to Saturday owing to soaring demand and rapidly improving occupancies nationwide.”
Satadeep Saha, Distributor of the film in West Bengal shared, “On Friday, it had 24 shows. Now, it’s playing in more than 50 shows and for Sunday it will be more that 75 shows. It clearly shows the demand the film has generated.”
Main Vaapas Aaunga is produced by Birla Studios and Applause Entertainment, along with Mohit Choudhary and Shibasish Sarkar of Window Seat Films.
Also Read: Anjana Sukhani says she got teary-eyed every time she saw Naseeruddin Shah perform in Main Vaapas Aaunga: “It was a live masterclass watching him”
