Mission Mangal vs Batla House box office clash on Independence Day: Will Sacred Games make it too crowded?

The box office clash this Independence Day is one of the biggest face-offs in 2019 despite Saaho backing out of the competition for a new release date. With Mission Mangal and Batla House locking horns on Thursday and season 2 of the superhit Netflix original Sacred Games adding more masala to the mix, all bets are off regarding who will emerge as the winner on August 15 weekend.

Of Akshay Kumar-John Abraham clashes

This box office clash may feel like a retread of 2018 when Akshay Kumar’s Gold went up against John Abraham’s Satyamev Jayate on Independence Day. Both turned out to be successes at the box office. While Gold opened at Rs 25 crore, it went on to collect Rs 104 crore, which was considered a shade less than expected given the thunderous first day. Satyameva Jayate recorded an opening of Rs 19.50 crore and earned Rs 80 crore at the domestic box office.

Mission Mangal box office prospects

The inspiring story of India’s Mars Orbiter, Mangalyaan 2, which was launched at a relative shoestring budget, has Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen and Sonakshi Sinha in the lead. Trade expects the Jagan Shakti film to open “at around Rs 22 crore”.

Batla House box office prospects

Directed by Nikkhil Advani, Batla House is based on the controversial police encounter in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar that took place in Delhi in 2008. The film stars John Abraham as police officer Sanjeev Kumar Yadav who has to deal with the accusations that the encounter was staged. Trade expects the film to open at around Rs 18 crore.

Mission Mangal vs Batla House

Girish Johar believes that both the films can survive independently on their own merit. While he expects Mission Mangal to open at around Rs 22 crore, the opening figures of Batla House may fall around Rs 15 crore. Talking to Hindustan Times, he said, “Both films can survive on their own. The history is proof that if two good films release at the same time, both perform well at the box office. Each film has to fight its own battle. Yes, there is some rub-off between the two but eventually the better film overpowers the other.”

Talking about their prospects at the box office, Girish says, “Both will open very well. August 15 is a holiday, it’s a four day-long weekend. The audience have liked the trailers of both the films and the chances of them doing well at the box office are high.”

The Rakshabandhan factor

The festival of Raksha Bandhan also happens to be on the same day. On being asked if the festive mood will impact their opening, he says, “The festival is more prominent in the North and is usually celebrated in the morning. Since its a holiday, the families venture out for movies during the day.”

Will Sacred Games be a spoiler?

But if the arrival of the much-anticipated Sacred Games can affect the two films, Girish begs to differ, he asserts, “You can watch a web series at anytime. Families like to go out on a holiday rather than sitting at home. Also, the penetration of the digital media is more prominent in big cities. The mass audience still considers going to a movie theatre as entertainment.”

However, the fans of the show claim to binge watch the web series until they are done with the eight episodes. Sacred Games is also the most prestigious for the video streaming platform with an investment of an estimated Rs 100 crore on Saif Ali Khan-Nawazuddin Siddiqui show.

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While Netflix has not revealed the viewership of the first season, a look at the viewership record set by another of its breakout shows, Stranger Things, of 30 million for its opening weekend can give a sense of what to expect.

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To add to the mix, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio will also release on August 15.

Mission Mangal and Batla House will enjoy a four-day opening weekend and a free two-week window at the box office as the next big release, Prabhas’ actioner Saaho releases on August 30. On being asked about how the films are expected to perform during the weekend, he says, “This will be clear only on Thursday. These days, if the film is good, it rises by leaps and bounds. And if not, it falls flat by evening.”

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