Box office: Puaada does strong business on first day of release

The much awaited Punjabi film Puaada, starring Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa, had a strong opening on Day 1 of its release yesterday, collecting about Rs55 lakh, according to figures shared by BoxOfficeIndia.com. Although this is the second Punjabi movie to be released after the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic ebbed, the film was highly anticipated because of its star cast.

Puaada had reported good advance booking interest, but due to the slow opening of theatres following the second pandemic-induced lockdown, the website estimated that the film has been released in just 55 theatres in East Punjab instead of 175, which is the norm for Punjabi films. Currently, cinemas are operating at 50% capacity, which will also be a factor in the box-office collections.

Although the figures shared mostly included the response seen in East Punjab, it also indicated that Puaada had done good business in Delhi, collecting around Rs10 lakh, and about £15,000 in the United Kingdom, which is quite robust. Besides Punjab, Delhi, the UK and Canada, the film has been released in France. Friday Entertainment tweeted the advertisement.

With the encouraging start and mostly good reviews for the family entertainer, it is possible that more theatres will come on board during the weekend and ticket sales will pick up momentum.