With a budget of Rs 600 crore, Nag Ashwin ’s dystopian sci-fi film Kalki 2898 AD is the most expensive Indian film ever made. Borrowing heavily from the Indian epics and scriptures, the film gives a distinctive take on the legend of Kalki, the prophesised tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu. Packed with superstars, the film has been mounted on a massive scale making it the proverbial ‘pan-India’ release.
But with great expectations, comes great responsibility. So Kalki 2898 AD needs to do exceedingly well at the box office in order to justify the planned sequel. But will it? And more importantly, how well can it do? Will it touch, or surpass the jaw-dropping marks set by all-time blockbusters like Baahubali, RRR, Dangal, and Jawan? What are Kalki 2898 AD’s box office prospects? Any big event film’s box office is dependent on two factors – the opening weekend and the hold.
A big opening weekend gives a film that momentum it needs to score big. And then, if the film avoids big drop on the weekdays, it can set itself for a long, healthy run. The first factor usually depends on the buzz for the film, dictated by the star(s).
Prabhas is doing the heavy lifting here for Kalki 2898 AD. Trade analyst Ramesh Bala says, “His star power will ensure that the film opens to packed houses in the Telugu states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana). Outside this, even in centres like Bengaluru, his stardom is huge.
There also, the film will open well.” But outside that, trade analysts say, t.