The reason why Shamshera is an important film is because it marks Ranbir Kapoor's return to cinemas after an absence of almost five years. The advance booking for the film, which opened on Monday, hasn't been encouraging, but the ticket pricing has not been hiked, which has become a trend of sorts for big films with big stakes.
Those from the trade feel this is a smart move by the producers, as controlled ticket prices will ensure more footfall and encourage walk-ins if the early reviews and audience reports turn out to be favourable. Film analyst and producer Girish Johar spoke to ETimes and revealed, "The ticket prices for Shamshera have not been hiked. " This is a good move to attract more walk-ins from cinema patrons. The advanced bookings are just about decent for now, but it is tracking well and it could earn around Rs 12 crore based on current trends. Considering the post-pandemic situation, it is a good start, and thereafter, word of mouth will take over. " Studying ticket prices on booking websites has suggested that there's been a marginal rise in prices. Again, this seems unusual for the production house of Shamshera, which has a history of hiking ticket prices for its big releases. Trade analyst Atul Mohan said, "This is actually a great move by Aditya Chopra. Keeping the ticket price in the low bracket for the first couple of shows will ensure that many come to the cinema halls, and then if the film is good, it will translate to positive word of mouth. If this works out, we may see many subsequent films and multiplexes adopt a similar strategy for their releases. This strategy was also used in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
Both analysts emphasised that high ticket prices discourage a sizeable percentage of the audience from watching films in theatres. The low ticket price strategy is better suited for post-pandemic times and increasing viewer confidence in returning to theaters.With 'Shamshera' and 'Brahmastra Part One: Shiva' releasing back to back, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor says he hopes the upcoming films make up for his four-year-long absence from the big screen.
The actor, whose last release was 2018's "Sanju", said he worked for almost a year on the two movies amid the COVID-19 pandemic and while taking care of his ailing father, the late veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who died in 2020.
"My last release was the 'Sanju' biopic which was exactly four years ago. Then, we got hit by the pandemic for a year and a half. For one year, my father was unwell, so a lot of time went into his treatment abroad.
I've been working on 'Shamshera' and 'Brahmastra', both big-ticket, long drawn films. Collectively, I shot 350 days for both the films. I was working round the clock, and now both these films are coming out. I hope these lost four years are made up by good entertainment for you," Ranbir Kapoor told reporters on Monday night.
The actor was speaking at a promotional event of 'Shamshera', slated to be released Friday. He was joined by director Karan Malhotra as well as cast members Sanjay Dutt and Vaani Kapoor.
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