Yesterday, Bollywood Hungama reported that the much-awaited Hollywood musical, Michael, had sold 78,000 tickets for the opening weekend and paid previews, indicating a promising start for the film in India. In less than 24 hours, the momentum has grown even stronger.
Bollywood Hungama has now learned that Michael has crossed the significant 1 lakh ticket sales mark for the weekend and paid previews, underlining the tremendous excitement surrounding the Michael Jackson biopic. As per the latest trends, the film has sold around 28,500 tickets for the paid previews alone, with the gross collection for these shows standing at an impressive Rs. 97 lakhs gross. As a result, the paid preview collections are now expected to go past the Rs. 1 crore nett mark since spot booking will also take place today for the paid previews.
Meanwhile, the total ticket sales for the weekend and paid previews have reached 1.13 lakh tickets, amounting to a strong Rs. 4.30 crore gross and counting. One of the biggest highlights of the advance booking is the phenomenal response in Hyderabad. The iconic Prasads multiplex alone has sold 7,300 tickets for the weekend, which is an extraordinary number for just one cinema. Adding to the surprise, Allu Arjun’s standalone property, ALLU Cinemas, has sold 6,500 tickets, a figure that is higher than the combined advances in properties run by exhibition chains such as MovieTime, Asian Cinemas and MovieMax.
The only factor that could have played spoilsport was the impact of the negative reviews from the West. However, that hasn’t dampened the excitement one bit, as tickets continue to be sold with each passing hour. The special screening of Michael, held yesterday in Mumbai’s IMAX Wadala, received a tremendous response. In fact, the most common question asked by those stepping out of the screening was how the reviews in the West could be so harsh. Word about the overwhelmingly positive reaction at the screening has spread quickly, and the initial reviews emerging locally have further indicated that the aam junta is likely to embrace the film with open arms once it releases.
Also Read: BREAKING: Michael ends on a surprising note; Michael Jackson biopic hints at Part 2
