Sitaare Zameen Par advance booking: Sitaare Zameen Par is attracting all eyes not just because it marks Aamir Khan’s much-awaited return to the silver screen after a three-year hiatus, but also because it marks the commencement of the Bollywood superstar’s battle against the “faulty business model” of Indian cinema, which he believes, functions according to the diktats of the OTT giants. In a strong first step, Aamir has reportedly turned down a Rs 120 crore offer from Amazon Prime Video for the film’s digital rights, allowing the RS Prasanna directorial a full theatrical run without rushing to an OTT premiere.
This move is aimed at boosting ticket sales by making theatrical viewing the only way to experience Sitaare Zameen Par. However, based on early trends, the plan has yet to yield favourable results as the film’s momentum has been slow so far since bookings began on Wednesday morning.
As of 9 pm on Wednesday, the Aamir Khan-starrer has sold tickets worth around Rs 54 lakh in India, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, with around 19,000 tickets sold across approximately 3,800 shows. While Delhi has contributed Rs 13 lakh, Maharashtra’s contribution stands at around Rs 8 lakh. The Hindi version accounts for the bulk of these numbers. Including blocked seats, the total advance booking gross in India currently stands at around Rs 2 crore.
It’s worth noting that Aamir Khan’s last two films — Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) — despite eventually flopping at the box office, had recorded advance booking grosses of Rs 27.5 crore and Rs 5.71 crore, respectively. In comparison, Sitaare Zameen Par appears to be off to a much slower start.
Watch Sitaare Zameen Par trailer here:
However, considering that the sports comedy-drama has a significantly smaller budget than his previous two outings, a direct numerical comparison would not be fair. Given the current scenario, the film’s performance will hinge on two key factors: the effectiveness of the “Hobson’s choice” strategy employed by Aamir Khan Productions, and the strength of word-of-mouth from early viewers.
Also starring Genelia Deshmukh, Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani and Rishabh Jain, Sitaare Zameen Par is written by Divy Nidhi Sharma. The film features music by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, background score by Ram Sampath, cinematography by Srinivas Reddy and editing by Charu Shree Roy. The movie will hit the screens on Friday (June 20).
