Hollywood’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Trumps ‘Ulajh’; Rakes in Rs. 1.25 Cr on Day 1; A Rare Treat at Gaiety-Galaxy in Original English

Box Office Bhaskar’s Bollywood Bizarre: Hollywood’s Sneaky Success

Ahoy, Bollywood buffs! Gather around as I, Box Office Bhaskar, your trusted (and delightfully cynical) Bollywood box office oracle, spill the beans on this weekend’s unexpected box office bouncer. Grab your popcorn and sit tight because what I’ve got is juicier than a Karan Johar gossip session!

Hollywood Hijinks at the Box Office!

Picture this: our local theatres were prepped for a desolate weekend, the kind where you could hear the echoes of your own thoughts. But, lo and behold! The Hollywood flick It Ends With Us came in like a storm, sweeping audiences off their feet. Typically, English love stories get the "backbenchers" treatment—limited releases, few screens, and even fewer viewers. But this time? Oh, the tables have turned, my friends.

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A Shocking Day 1: Numbers That Speak Volumes

It Ends With Us debuted on August 9, with a sneaky little preview on August 8. Despite the allure of Rs. 99 tickets on the release day and Rs. 199 on the following days, fans were so desperate that they gobbled up the pricey preview tickets like they were the last samosas at a wedding. The result? A whopping Rs. 1.25 crores on the first day itself! To put that into perspective, our very own Janhvi Kapoor’s Ulajh managed just Rs. 1 crore with a higher screen count. Ouch.

From 150 to 258 Screens: A Screening Surge

Given this unexpected hullabaloo, theatres scrambled to add more shows. Originally set to screen in 150 cinemas, the count soared to 258. PVR Juhu in Mumbai, which usually treats English films like distant cousins, is running six shows today and will bump it up to eight shows tomorrow. Meanwhile, PVR Nexus in Bengaluru will boast 11 shows starting tomorrow, with the early birds catching the 8:15 pm show. Pune’s E-Square Elite isn’t lagging either, with nine shows lined up for Sunday.

The Gaiety-Galaxy Revelation: English Films Return

Here’s a twist worthy of a masala movie: Mumbai’s G7 multiplex, aka Gaiety-Galaxy, is playing It Ends With Us in its original English avatar in the 238-seater Gemini theatre. A trade insider whispered, “Gaiety-Galaxy used to show English films ages ago, but only in tiny theatres and only in Hindi. This is the first English film in years to get a full-fledged screening there.” Talk about a comeback!

Small Films, Big Impact

As one multiplex official put it, “Hollywood films usually need to be larger-than-life, franchise spectacles to perform well. Smaller love stories rarely make the cut. But It Ends With Us defied all odds with its compelling word of mouth. It’s set to hold its ground even after the Independence Day releases on August 15.”

Starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and Brandon Sklenar, It Ends With Us is based on the bestselling novel about a woman who falls for a charming man, only for things to take a dark turn.

And there you have it, folks! Hollywood swooped in and gave Bollywood a run for its money. Always keep your popcorn close and your expectations closer because in this industry, you never know when the next plot twist will hit!

Tags: #BoxOffice #Hollywood #Bollywood #ItEndsWithUs #SurpriseHit #CineMagic