New Delhi: Pushpa 2: The Rule has now beat the box office magic of Christopher Nolan’s re-released Interstellar in North America. Spreading like “wildfire”—as its eponymous character calls himself in the movie—Pushpa 2 is inching toward breaking several records globally.
Pushpa 2 has amassed Rs 14.3 crore from 1,245 theatres, outperforming Interstellar, which earned Rs 11.6 crore from 165 IMAX re-release screens. The Allu Arjun-starrer is currently at the fourth spot in North America’s box office rankings, after Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator 2, which were released this year. This development comes in the very first weekend since the movie’s worldwide release in various languages.
As per trade analyst Manobala Vijayan, Sukumar’s film has already crossed the Rs 775 crore mark globally. It also managed to cross the lifetime collection of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali in a mere four days.
Also read: Pushpa 2 fever grips Telugu & Tamil film industries—Atlee, Rana Daggubati are raving about it
No IMAX screens for ‘Interstellar’
Nolan’s film was re-released worldwide on 5 December, the same day as Pushpa 2. As per news reports, all IMAX owners in India decided to give their screens to the sequel of the highly successful Pushpa, instead of Interstellar. This also led to a social media debate about the quality of the two films, with some aghast at the comparison.
Actor Janhvi Kapoor, who made her debut in the Telegu film industry with Devara: Part 1 earlier this year, also gave her two cents on the matter.
“Why are we so obsessed with idolising the west and running down things that come out of our own country and instantly disqualifying it from being considered as worthy? The same rooted representation and larger than life tone other countries appreciate and our fascinated by our cinema for, we ourselves are embarrassed of,” she wrote on Instagram.
The ticket prices for Pushpa 2 within India have also been set at par with what people were shelling out for Nolan’s Oppenheimer last year. Despite petitions in court, the prices have not been reduced, so the producer, Mythri Movie Makers, is anticipating a massive profit.
Oppenheimer, which lost out globally to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in the box office race, managed to beat it in India. The film made Rs 55.75 crore in India, as opposed to the Rs 21.15 crore made by Barbie.
Interstellar too had a solid run in India back in 2014, earning Rs 25.28 crore in 10 days. The movie even found a surprise taker in Tamil Nadu.
This time around, however, it has been edged away by Pushpa 2, which is likely to emerge as the biggest Indian film globally.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
It makes every thinking man sad how these stupid over the top films with gaudy styling and stunted characters rake in millions. Quality cinema goes unnoticed while these buffoons roll over in money.
What is even stranger is respected publications like The Print celebrating these idiots and their “success”.
Mentioning “Pushpa” and “Interstellar” in the same sentence is an insult to Interstellar. It’s an affront to millions of Christopher Nolan fans around the world.
As the old Hindi saying goes “Kahaan Raja Bhoj, kahaan Gangu teli”.
Interstellar will remain etched in public memory for decades, maybe even centuries.
This is quite surprising.
Ms. Triya Gulati, an esteemed colleague of yours, is complaining that the songs and dances this time around don’t have the “magic” of Oo Antava. So what exactly are the men flocking to theatres for?
The last time they went for the sleaze and depravity of Oo Antava. What’s drawing them in this time around?