Box office: 'Article 370' inches closer to Rs. 40cr mark
What's the story
Yami Gautam Dhar's latest political action thriller, Article 370, has received immense praise from critics and audiences.
Released on February 23, the film had a strong opening weekend and maintained decent collections during the weekdays.
In its first week, the movie raked in Rs. 35.6 crore and added another Rs. 2.9cr on its second Friday (day eight), bringing the total to Rs. 38.5cr, per Sacnilk.
Collections
'Article 370' faces competition from 'Operation Valentine,' 'Laapataa Ladies'
On Thursday (day seven), the film amassed Rs. 3cr and experienced a slight dip on Friday with an estimated Rs. 2.9cr.
Despite an overall occupancy rate of 14.41% on Friday, the film is anticipated to surpass the Rs. 40cr mark by the conclusion of its second weekend.
Facing competition from recent releases such as Varun Tej's Operation Valentine, Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies, and the highly-anticipated Dune: Part Two, Article 370 is expected to see a further decline in collections.
Comparison
In numbers: 'Article 370's comparison to 'The Kashmir Files'
The political drama has drawn comparisons to another popular film on Kashmir, The Kashmir Files (2022), helmed by Vivek Agnihotri.
On its opening day, Article 370 collected Rs. 6.12cr, outperforming the latter, which earned Rs. 3.55cr.
However, TKF saw a massive 408.45% increase from the opening day to day seven, amassing Rs. 97.3cr in one week. Article 370 couldn't match this rise, as it has experienced a significant drop.
About the film
Know more about 'Article 370'
As the name suggests, the movie delves into the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, which resulted in the removal of the special status given to the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The film is directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale and produced by Aditya Dhar, Jyoti Deshpande, and Lokesh Dhar.
It also stars Priya Mani, Kiran Karmarkar, and Arun Govil in key roles.
Impact on collections
Meanwhile, film was banned in Gulf countries
Article 370 has reportedly become the latest film to face a ban in Gulf countries after Hrithik Roshan's Fighter in January this year.
Addressing the same, Gautam told Variety, "We really didn't anticipate this because we feel there is nothing in the film, which is offensive."
She added that Indian audiences are not offended by the movie and are spreading the word that it is "not a propaganda film."