'Spider-Man: No Way Home' advance-bookings smash records, 'Pushpa' in danger?
What's the story
Even Hitler's army wouldn't be able to control Marvel geeks when any new release drops. Spider-Man: No Way Home premieres on December 16 in India, a day before its worldwide release. And, fans have already rolled up their sleeves to catch their favorite Spidey in action. With over 2L tickets sold in PVR and INOX combined, it's already on its way to smash records.
Context
Why does it matter?
Looking at the rate of booking, it will be fitting to say that No Way Home is going to be a blockbuster. Pre-bookings for the Jon Watts-directorial in India started on Sunday evening. Several theater slots are already showing houseful. This is despite the film's premiere falling on a weekday and tickets in some pockets in Delhi costing as high as Rs. 2,200!
'Web' traffic
Theater websites crash as fans attempt to book tickets
In the United States, the Tom Holland-starrer's advance bookings had started in November. According to a CNN report, several websites crashed within minutes after the booking opened, owing to a heavy "web" traffic (pun intended). This is the first time, post-pandemic, fans are buying tickets for a film with such excitement. The last film to receive this huge welcome was Avengers: Endgame.
Calculation
'No Way Home' inches close to 'Endgame' in pre-sales
In India, over 1L tickets were sold in PVR within 14 hours of the booking going live. INOX has sold about 1.5L tickets in 24 hours. In total, 5L tickets have been bought, which comes around Rs. 15 crore! This means the film has generated one of the biggest Hollywood pre-sales in India, inching close to Endgame and marching ahead of Infinity War.
Clash
Set for tough fight between 'Pushpa', 'No Way Home'?
As far as Indian movies are concerned, Pushpa, starring Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna, is hitting the big screens a day after No Way Home. The films are witnessing a tremendous buzz and pre-bookings are afire in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for both of them. So will Pushpa be able to make a profit in other states as well? Let's hope for the best.