When a franchise film opens on 15,759 screens, a small spiritual drama usually disappears. Hanuman Ansh did not. The Neem Karoli Baba biopic, reported to be made on a budget of Rs 2 crore, held more than half its seats in its ninth week even after Drishyam 3: The Conclusion pulled away most of its shows.
The screen squeeze did not empty the hall
Trade figures reported by Sacnilk show the scale of the shift. On October 1, its eighth Thursday, Hanuman Ansh collected Rs 2.90 crore India nett from 4,345 shows at 19 per cent occupancy, completing Week 8 with Rs 29.20 crore. The next day, after Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam 3 opened, the biopic’s show count dropped to 1,166 and its daily collection to Rs 2.25 crore.
Occupancy, however, rose sharply to 54 per cent. On October 3, the film earned Rs 2.10 crore from 1,339 shows at 39 per cent occupancy. By Sunday, October 4, it recovered to Rs 3 crore from 1,399 shows at 57 per cent occupancy. Fewer screenings, fuller halls: the retained demand is the clearest sign that the audience has not moved on.
Drishyam 3 opens like a franchise leader
The new release had the opposite trajectory. Drishyam 3, headlined by Ajay Devgn and Tabu, started with Rs 62 crore on day one and kept adding shows across the Gandhi Jayanti weekend.
- Day 1: Rs 62 crore from 15,759 shows
- Day 2: Rs 53.50 crore from 16,868 shows
- Day 3: Rs 61 crore from 17,323 shows
- Opening weekend: Rs 176.50 crore India nett
The franchise’s built-in audience, star power and the extended holiday gave it a commanding first weekend. The real test will be the hold after the holiday period, when weekday collections reveal whether the film can sustain its momentum.
Two box-office logics
Comparing the two films directly would miss the point. Drishyam 3 arrived pre-sold; Hanuman Ansh, led by Shobhinaw Satyaa, opened quietly and found its audience over weeks. What began as a modest run has become one of the year’s prominent sleeper hits, and its ninth-week occupancy is an argument for keeping such films on screens even when a tentpole lands.
The immediate question is whether Hanuman Ansh can win back showings. Its Sunday recovery gives exhibitors a reason to restore screens, while Drishyam 3’s post-holiday performance will determine how much room the market has for both.
Source: India Today
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