Varun Dhawan's latest comedy-romance Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai has had a slow start at the box office. The film has collected Rs 0.97 crore net in India on its first day so far. Its gross collection stands at Rs 1.14 crore, according to live estimates from Sacnilk.
The film is currently running in 3,166 shows across India and has recorded an overall occupancy of 10%.
Advance Booking Was Decent
Before its release, the film generated some interest through advance bookings. It sold 98,762 tickets and earned Rs 2.61 crore in gross advance sales, excluding block bookings. Including block seats, the advance booking total reached Rs 5.26 crore gross.
The film was released in Hindi and was scheduled across 9,842 shows during the advance booking period.
Major Cities Led The Advance Bookings
The strongest advance booking response came from the National Capital Region (NCR), which generated nearly Rs 99 lakh gross including block bookings. Mumbai followed with around Rs 62 lakh, while Bengaluru contributed about Rs 28 lakh.
Among states, Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Karnataka emerged as the biggest contributors to advance sales.
Day 1 Occupancy Remains Low
Despite a reasonable advance booking performance, theatre occupancy on Day 1 remained on the lower side. The film's overall occupancy stood at 10%, suggesting that it will need strong weekend footfalls to improve its box office performance.
ALSO READ: Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai X Review: Varun Dhavan and Mrunal Thakur's Film Receives Mixed Response
A few centres showed better interest than others. Warangal recorded 32% occupancy, while Chennai registered 30% during the advance booking phase. Some smaller markets also reported a comparatively stronger response than major metro cities.
About The Film
Directed by David Dhawan, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai tells the story of Jas and Bani, whose marriage falls apart because of differences over family planning. As Jas starts a new relationship overseas, he finds himself caught in unexpected complications and hidden secrets.
The film stars Varun Dhawan, Pooja Hegde, Mrunal Thakur, Jimmy Shergill, Manish Paul, Chunky Pandey, Mouni Roy and Rakesh Bedi in key roles.
With the weekend now underway, the film's performance over the next two days will be crucial in determining whether it can build momentum at the box office.
ALSO READ: 'Gullak' Season 5 OTT Release: Date, Time, Plot, Cast, Where To Watch The Mishras' Next Chapter
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.