Is Brahmastra Really The Biggest Bollywood Opener of 2022? See How Box Office Numbers Are Calculated

Breaking Bollywood’s long lull at the box office, Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s much-awaited magnum opus Brahmastra hit the cinemas last week, to mixed reactions but reportedly solid numbers.

Despite criticisms about its storyline and dialogues, the film managed to rake in about Rs 209 crore globally since its release four days ago. However, this is just one estimate. The internet is flooded with numerous different versions of Brahmastra’s financial success, each claiming to be true. Some say the film’s total earnings have crossed Rs 220 crore.

There are varying claims on how much the film has drawn in India. According to Dharma Productions, one of the film’s producers, Brahmastra grossed over Rs 225 crore, just over the weekend. But popular trade analyst Taran Adarsh saw Brahmastra doing a business of just over Rs 100 crore on Saturday and Sunday.

Clearly, there is no consensus. But how can a single film elicit so many varied figures? Fundamentally, how are these numbers calculated?

No Uniformity

One reason why these numbers oscillate so wildly is because of the absence of a single body that determines them. They are largely reliant on many independent websites and analysts like Bollywood Hungama, KoiMoi, and revelations made by the film producers. So, it’s always better to take them in with a pinch of salt.

Once a film is done, producers sell its theatrical rights to distributors across India and digital streaming rights to OTT platforms. These distributors further rent the film to exhibitors i.e cinema chains. Then, the total earnings from ticket sales are divided between these stakeholders in a decided ratio. Brahmastra will share 55% of its total revenue with exhibitors or screeners. But then again, there’s no pinning the exact number of screens active in India at present.

Research finds around 3,200 multiplexes in India as of 2019, with the race led by PVR and INOX. As far as single screens are concerned, around 6,000 of them survive as of 2022.

The production cost of the film is another factor that determines how much a film profits. In the case of Brahmastra, a massive Rs 410 crore were poured in by producers Ranbir Kapoor, Karan Johar, and more. But realistically, given that the film took almost a decade to complete, actual costs may have gone up to Rs 500 crore.

Disney+ Hotstar acquired its streaming rights for about Rs 150 crore. Money was also made from advanced bookings, which was about Rs 17.71 crore for Brahmastra.

While streaming rights significantly play into determining the total earnings of the film eventually, the ultimate decider of a film’s success is the ticket sales that take place in the ensuing days.

Net vs Gross

The single biggest differentiator of a film’s actual earnings is its gross and net figures. So, if a film supposedly grosses over Rs 300 crore, that is not representative of how much the producers or distributors have actually earned.

Because, from this figure, the government-levied charges and entertainment taxes are deducted. These differ from state to state. For example, Delhi has a 20% entertainment tax, whereas Maharashtra levies 45% and Tamil Nadu has a 15% rate.

Because their calculations vary due to this, different sources report separate figures. Then there are vernacular variations i.e. some sources report earnings of the Hindi version only, while others also take into account the money made by other vernacular versions.

However, a Delhi-based media professor, who chose to remain anonymous, says despite different numbers, inflating can only happen to a certain extent. “Numbers can be pushed to the nearest 100s or by pumping them by 5-10% is possible in order to paint a rosy picture. But given that multiple sources have access to this information, it is hard to completely delude the public. It is easy to get an idea of a credible range, if not an exact figure of the film’s earnings if data coming from multiple credible sources lies roughly in the same zone”, he notes.

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