JPNA becomes Pakistan’s highest-grossing film

Outpaces ‘Waar’ and ‘Furious 7’ to rake in skyrocketing box office earnings

KARACHI: After a gap of two years, it has finally happened. Waar’s reign as the highest-grossing Pakistani film has now ended, with Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (JPNA) succeeding the throne.

Waar’s approximate box office collections stood at Rs234 million after its extended run. JPNA edged out the Bilal Lashari film after its collections exceeded Rs260 million on Monday. “It’s officially the highest-grossing film in Pakistani cinemas as it surpassed the records of Waar and Furious 7 over the weekend,” corroborated an ARY Films representative.

Shown at as many as 80 screens, the film had a tremendous opening at the local box office, even superseding expectations and targets distributors had set for themselves. Prior to its release, distributors had reason to believe the film would become the first Pakistani one to cross the Rs300-million mark, although a grand opening was not on the cards.

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In an earlier interview with The Express Tribune, the film’s distributor had stated, “If this film doesn’t cross the [Rs300-m] mark, then I don’t know what film will.” Not surprisingly, JPNA managed to earn Rs74.5 million during its three-day Eid weekend, while the distributors had a target of Rs40 to 50 million in mind.

Even prior to JPNA’s release, the distributors and producers of the film had displayed a tremendous amount of confidence, terming it an “ideal film” for Eidul Azha. With Ho Mann Jahaan slated for a post-Muharram release, JPNA’s run is expected to well exceed the predicted three weeks. With no other major release in sight, the film is safe to extend its reign over the box office until November.

Unlike other movies that were released during extended weekends, JPNA made full use of lack of competition on both the local and international fronts, making a killing right from day one.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2015.

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