Kalank, directed by Abhishek Verman and produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, is the biggest Hindi multi-starrer to hit the theatres in recent times.
With current sensations Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan leading the way, and Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, Kiara Advani, Kriti Sanon (item song) in the mix, the cast is huge.
While the response to the trailer and songs released so far has been mixed, there are still huge expectations from the film due to its mounting and star cast.
But will the ongoing IPL and the election season affect Kalank's box office prospects? Trade suggests that it won't.
Johar had announced an April 2019 release date for Kalank one year in advance so he obviously knew what he was doing. The producer also pushed the release date ahead from 19, Friday to 17, Wednesday, so the film could get nine days in before Avengers: End Game comes along. The release of Avengers is expected to slow Kalank down slightly.
Movie Business Analyst Atul Mohan says that, in fact, Karan Johar has planned the release date well. "Karan Johar is a sensible maker. He knows how to plan his release dates. And he planned this long time back. The release has been planned keeping in mind the partial holiday of Mahavir Jayanti (17 April) and Good Friday (19 April)," he says. Trade is quite positive that the film will get a huge opening despite the ongoing IPL.
"We don't see IPL as a threat anymore. Be it Avengers: Infinity War (released during last year's IPL) or Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (April 2017), they have done well after releasing during IPL," says Mohan, adding, "But its only a big film like Kalank that can challenge big opposition like election and IPL at the same time."
“We have seen from the trailer that the films is of epic scale, the huge cast, brand Karan Johar, with Alia and Varun in the lead. So these factors should work in its favour,” he says.
Made at over Rs 120 crore, there is a lot riding on Kalank. The film's director, Verman, has previously assisted Ashutosh Gowariker on the epic romance, Jodha Akbar, and is expected to justice to a period drama like Kalank.
"Distributors are positive. I spoke to some of the exhibitors too. The film looks like a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. And it is a big compliment for Abhishek Verman to be compared to a big filmmaker like Bhansali," says Mohan.
“The opening will be huge undoubtedly. The biggest of 2019. It should be around Rs20-25 crore on opening day,” predicts Mohan.
Manoj Desai, Executive Director, G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir Cinema in Mumbai, is cautious about making any early predictions though. "It is true that the first quarter of 2019 has been much better than that of 2018, but I had expected Kesari do much better since Akshay Kumar is in good form. So I don’t want to predict," he says.
Regarding Kalank he does have high expectations, but is waiting to know what the runtime is. “IPL and elections shouldn’t affect it that much though. We are expecting a big opening. It’s a costume drama with big stars. Thereafter it is about whether the audience likes the film. But a lot also depends on the runtime. People are not used to over two to two-and-a-half-hour films anymore. If the film is over that then, it could affect the film's performance," he says.
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