Akshay Kumar's upcoming film, Sarfira, is set to release tomorrow July 12. However, early box office data paints a grim picture. Following a trend of recent underperformances, Kumar's new release shows weak advance bookings.
According to Sacnilk, the film has earned Rs.30.37 lakh in advance bookings, rising to Rs.63.42 lakh with blocked seats included. Maharashtra leads in collections with Rs.13.01 lakh, followed by Gujarat at Rs.10.63 lakh, Madhya Pradesh at Rs.5.77 lakh, and Karnataka at Rs.3.03 lakh. In Delhi, advance bookings total Rs.7.32 lakh, while Telangana and West Bengal have brought in Rs.5.51 lakh and Rs.2.27 lakh, respectively.
Among Indian cities, Mumbai tops the list with Rs.7.67 lakh in bookings (including blocked seats). Pune has collected Rs.3.61 lakh, Gandhinagar Rs.5.06 lakh, and Hyderabad Rs.4.9 lakh.
As of noon on July 11, only 1,800 tickets for Sarfira had been sold across major national chains—PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis—according to Bollywood Hungama. The movie is facing tough competition from Selfiee and Mission Raniganj, which have sold 8,200 and 6,600 tickets, respectively, at these multiplexes.
Bollywood Hungama has described the pre-sales numbers for Sarfira as "alarming." The film's advance sales are even lower than those of Ishq Vishk Rebound, which sold 12,000 tickets and featured new actors like Rohit Saraf, Pashmina Roshan, and Jibraan Khan. Comparatively, Kartik Aaryan's Chandu Champion has secured ten times more bookings.
This situation is particularly troubling for Bollywood, as it is rare for a movie starring a major superstar to open so poorly. Sarfira, directed by Sudha Kongara Prasad, also stars Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal, and Seema Biswas. The film centers on a common man's dream to start his own airline.
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