Jolly LLB 3’s road to the big screen may have been bumpy, but the Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi-starrer is expected to register an estimated Rs 10 crore first-day opening. While the courtroom drama’s advance booking opened on September 13, PVR-Inox temporarily halted it on September 16 and 17 amid its last-minute negotiations with Viacom 18, which produced the film.
The two parties had a disagreement over the payment of Virtual Print Fee (VPF). While the studio argued that it was to pay VPF only till 2024, the multiplex chain reportedly pointed out that the charge was now standard industry practice that was paid by all studios. After late-night negotiations, the studio agreed to pay the amount “under protest”, following which the national multiplex chain reopened its bookings on the morning of September 18.
Despite losing two days in the process, Subhash Kapoor’s directorial venture earned over Rs 6 crore in advance bookings. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, single screens played a role in offsetting the damage. He said, “The tussle over the VPF charges impacted the advance bookings, but the franchise has its own pull. Strong single-screen turnout has cushioned the impact. Since bookings for Jolly LLB 3 opened late and even shut down for a while, the start was slower than expected. But it’s a good film, and if word of mouth spreads, it can really work. We’re seeing strong spot bookings and collections picking up towards the evening.”
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede reflected that Friday’s morning shows were “slow”. He was, however, hopeful as he said, “The first-day numbers should be in the range of Rs 10-11 crore, and Saturday’s could be about Rs 15 crore. It should make upwards of Rs 45 crore this weekend.”
