Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday-starrer Pati Patni Aur Woh and Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Kriti Sanon-starrer Panipat will hit the theatres on 6 December.
But how will the two films perform at the box-office? Both have a completely different audience. While Pati Patni Aur Woh is a romantic comedy, a remake of the 1978 film by the same name, Panipat is a historical which depicts the third battle of Panipat between the Maratha army led by Sadashiv Rao Bhau and Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali.
“Pati Patni Aur Woh and Panipat both have a similar kind of buzz and I expect them to do similar numbers on opening day,” says movie business analyst Atul Mohan. “I expect them to make around Rs 6 – 7 crore on day one,” he adds.
But Panipat has been made at a high budget of around Rs 100 crore, and will need to get better on the weekend. “Pati Patni Aur Woh is likely to get around 20 per cent more shows as it is just over two hours long, while Panipat is three hours long. So Panipat won’t be able to fit in as many shows in a day,” says Atul.
Kartik Aaryan and Arjun Kapoor would be both hoping for this to be a good clash, where both films turn out to be winners. For Arjun, there is a lot at stake as his box office record hasn’t been great since 2014, when he had hits in the form of 2 States and Gunday.
Kartik Aaryan, on the other hand, is currently on a good run at the box office, and hoping to build the momentum for his future films like Imtiaz Ali’s next. His last film, Luka Chuppi, which released earlier this year, was a hit and so was his 2018 release, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.
Pati Patni Aur Woh has come under the scanner for a sexist dialogue, which has now been edited out from the film.
“The audience has seen Kartik do similar stuff before. So, some may not be too excited about the film right now, though the buzz is decent,” he says.
Here is Kartik Aaryan’s box-office track record:
Arjun Kapoor, on the other hand, has had only one hit since 2014 – Ki and Kaa – which made Rs 7.40 crore on the opening day and went on to make Rs 52.2 crore in lifetime collections.
His last two films, Namaste England and India’s Most Wanted, flopped, making only Rs 9 crore and Rs 13.2 crore, respectively, in lifetime net collections.
Here’s Arjun Kapoor’s box-office track record since 2014:
But Panipat is more of an “Ashutosh Gowarikar film” says Atul adding, “He has made historical films like Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar. He is in his zone.” However, the film is coming on the back of the disastrous Mohenjo Daro, which could make people skeptical about the film.
Pati Patni Aur Woh and Panipat will release in theatres on 6 December.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)