Madhavan’s R Missile: Nambi . Effect is releasing across India in different languages including Hindi, Tamil, English, Telugu and Kannada. The film is based on the life of a former rocket scientist at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Nambi Narayanan. Along with that, cinemas also have the animated film Om The Battle Within releasing in theaters this week. Both films, of different genres, will cater to different audiences. Movie trade experts suggest that while Rocketry will grow at the box office based on its word of mouth, Om will see a bigger footfall in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Film producer and commercial analyst, Girish Johar believes the Madhavan film is “targeting a niche audience” and not a “heavy commercial film”. According to him, the film is a bit high-end and is targeting audiences in multiple groups.
“Public opinion is quite good and positive, particularly in the south. Rocketry will have a good start at the box office. The film has also received a lot of critical acclaim internationally, so that looks positive. For the hindi belt it will depend more on word of mouth and should be a better start,” said Johar indianexpress.com, while adding that Rocketry should do somewhere around a crore on opening day. “I’m looking at the film’s weekend and lifetime box office collection, rather than the one-on-two collection, because I know the movie is more word-of-mouth,” he added.
R Madhavan starred in Rocketry. He also wrote and directed the film. Nambi Narayanan, ISRO’s Head of Cryogenics, was charged with espionage and arrested in 1994. All charges against him were dismissed by the Supreme Court in 1998.
While Girish Johar thinks Rocketry will only find an audience in urban markets, film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi, who has seen the film, suggests, “This is not a movie that people cannot reach. intellectually. It’s a movie about a rocket scientist, not a rocket science lesson. It is said in a way that the most ordinary people can understand. “
According to Rathi, the film will have nationwide appeal but its box office revenue is entirely dependent on “how quickly word of mouth spreads”. He said, “There’s no doubt about the fact that this isn’t a movie that’s going to have a huge number of viewers in a day, it’s more of a word-of-mouth drama.” He also compared Rocketry to Kashmir file, which came as a surprise not only to commercial professionals but also to the film’s producers, who never expected it to do so well at the box office. “Even The Kashmir Files is not a piece of entertainment, but it is an issue that is extremely concerning to us. That’s what made it work. Having seen Rocketry, I can say it is one of the most important films made from the Indian film industry. As a director and actor, R Madhavan became a phenomenon in this film,” Rathi shared.
For those looking for high end Bollywood entertainment, they have Om led by Aditya Roy Kapur. The action movie also stars Sanjana Sanghi, Jackie Shroff, Ashutosh Rana and Prachi Shah.
Aditya Roy Kapur in Om The Battle Within.
Judging the film’s opening day collection at around 1.5-2 crore Ts, Girish Johar said, “This is a typical heavy-duty action movie. The intro is good. Aditya Roy Kapur fans will see him as a typical Hindi hero. The level of excitement was only decent. I feel the movie is an important change for Aditya Roy Kapur, so far he’s mostly only acted in romance movies and this is a heavy action movie. This time he tried to explore a different area.”
Both Om and Rocketry will be released in nearly 1800-2000 theaters.