When it comes to out-and-out masala entertainers, few franchises command the kind of loyal following that Housefull does. The fifth instalment of the iconic comedy series, Housefull 5 directed by Tanu Mansukhani of Dostana fame, is all set to hit theatres this Friday, and its advance booking numbers are already reflecting the franchise’s enduring popularity.
In a world where comedies struggle to make big noise before release, Housefull 5 has managed to notch up Rs 90.88 lakh gross in advance bookings for its opening day, selling 24,626 tickets across 7,598 shows. This figure, mind you, is without accounting for block bookings, which alone amount to a whopping 2.97 crore thus taking the overall collection to Rs 3.88 crore.Never before in the history of Hindi film cinema will a film be released with two different climaxes and Sajid Nadidwala’s Houseful 5 is going to break this format. For one version about 14,666 tickets have been sold and for another version about 9,960 tickets have been sold. With three more days to go for the release of the film- one can expect major jumps as the date comes near. Part of what makes Housefull 5 such a major event film is its star-studded ensemble — a perfect cocktail of action, comedy, and glam. The cast reads like a who’s who of Bollywood entertainers like Akshay Kumar, Ritiesh Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Johnny Lever and Chunky Panday reprises his iconic character Aakhri Pasta, ensuring continuity for the fans of the franchise.Housefull 5 is all set to hit theatres on June 6, while a day earlier, on June 5, cinema legend Kamal Haasan arrives with his highly anticipated Tamil action-drama Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam. While Thug Life primarily targets the Tamil-speaking audience and isn’t expected to pose significant competition on the Hindi box office front, its release strategy has sparked interest. With an 8-week OTT window, the film could spring a surprise at the pan-India box office, drawing in cinegoers intrigued by the Kamal-Mani Ratnam collaboration and the buzz around this high-octane actioner.
