‘Chhalawa’ and ‘Wrong No 2’ take Eid box-office by storm

Both films earn a total of Rs200m in the first five days of release

LAHORE: Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa, the two Urdu films that hit theatres on Eid, have cumulatively earned roughly Rs200 million rupees in the first five days of release, The Express Tribune has learnt. The figures are well beyond what stakeholders had been expecting, especially since local cinema houses have been struggling post the ban on Indian content.

As per insiders, Wrong No 2 has been leading the pack, collecting about Rs110 million so far. Chhalawa is close behind, with Rs90 million, though the exact figures for the Mehwish Hayat-starrer could not be independently verified.



Everready Group of Companies – which released the film – has not confirmed the numbers. Meanwhile, CEO Distribution Club Sheikh Amjad Rasheed has claimed the earnings for Wrong No 2.

“My film has been doing good business and is likely to earn more in the next few days so I am very satisfied. I cannot comment on any of the other films that are competing with it.”



Generally, film-makers, distributors and cinema-owners are ecstatic over the audience’s positive response to both releases and have their fingers crossed for even better numbers for the week following Eid.

PHOTO:FILE

A total of eight films were released during the festive season – two Urdu, one Punjabi and three Pashto-language productions. Alongside these were global giants like Disney’s Aladdin, X-Men: Dark Phoenix and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

But even so, the competition has remained between Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa mainly and families flocked to their nearest cinema-houses to watch both during the five-day Eid weekend.

PHOTO:FILE

However, a source at a local distribution company said that both films did equally well in the first three days, until Wrong No 2 got ahead. “Wrong No 2 earned about Rs70 million on the three main Eid days… Rs10.6 million on day one and Rs20 million on day two,” they shared.

PHOTO: FILE

“Chhalawa generated similar numbers and was the first choice for most of the public that came in. But both films have been doing well due to their music and romantic stories.”



Chaudhry Ejaz Kamran, chairman of Pakistan Film Distributors Association, added, “We’ve had a fantastic response from the public to both local releases. The business they have generated over Eid has given new hope to Pakistani films in the international film market. In fact, not just the two main Urdu releases but the Punjabi film Sharikay Di Aag has also performed remarkably and we’re all really happy.”

An official of a local cinema house in Lahore, seeking anonymity, also confirmed that both Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa are going head-to-head in most cinemas across the city.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.