'Kalki 2898 AD' was expected to take dull openings in Hindi. The Tollywood media opined, till June 26th night, that the pre-release promotions were so weak that the Hindi audiences who watch event films on Day 1 were probably not even aware of the Prabhas-starrer.
Of course, the above narrative was not off the mark. If anything, something similar was said about Shobu Yarlagadda, the producer of 'Baahubali', about 'Salaar'. In an interview earlier this year, he analyzed that 'Salaar' should have been promoted in Hindi way more than it was since it was in direct contest with a big film like SRK's 'Dunki'.
With 'Kalki' netting Rs 100 Cr in the 4-day-long weekend in Hindi (in the Indian market), all theories that the media had been fanning before its release have fallen flat.
'Kalki', going by the theory that promotions matter the most, shouldn't have taken an amazing opening on Day 1. It shouldn't have seen a surge on Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4. But it did, proving the Telugu media wrong.
'Pushpa: The Rise', too, was expected to fare poorly in Hindi in 2021. After a very dull opening-day response, the Allu Arjun-starrer went up North as days and weeks passed.
It seems the reality of the Hindi market doesn't lend itself to conventional theories. Promotions do matter (as the aggressive marketing campaigns by Bollywood filmmakers have always shown), but they don't solely determine the fate of all films.
