Bollywood Hungama has been at the forefront to report about the reopening of cinemas in Kashmir. The first multiplex in the beautiful state was opened on September 20, 2022. Two days earlier, on September 18, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated Multipurpose Cinema Halls, located in Pulwama and Shopian districts. RRR (2022) was the first film shown in Kashmir in these theatres and also the first film to be screened in Kashmir in three decades. Last week, we also reported on how Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan (2023) will be the first film to be screened at the newly opened theatres in Kashmir’s Baramulla and Handwara.
And now, Kashmir theatres are back in the news, thanks to Oppenheimer. The Christopher Nolan directorial is done beyond expectations across the country, and Inox Srinagar is no exception. It emerged as the biggest Hollywood opener and could possibly emerge as the highest Hollywood grosser in the state, beating other recent Hollywood biggies like Fast X (2023), John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023), Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022) etc.
Social media has been of the opinion that Oppenheimer is the first Hollywood film to get sold out in Inox Srinagar. However, Vikas Dhar, clarified, “Oppenheimer is the first Hollywood film to get such a massive response in our theatre. Avatar: The Way Of Water got sold out and so did a couple of other films. But to have such a sustained response and house full shows for three days is a first. For Avatar: The Way Of Water, we got a few enquiries before it was out. However, for Oppenheimer, we began to be flooded with enquiries four weeks before its release. The moviegoers asked us to release the film in our theatre on the same day as the rest of India.”
Looking at the response to Oppenheimer, exhibition sources feel that it won’t be a surprise if it manages to cross the collections of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan in Inox Srinagar or come close to it.
Vikas Dhar reacted to these claims, “I don’t think so. I’ll be really surprised if it happens. Shah Rukh Khan’s fan following here is unparalleled. We are already getting enquiries for his next film, Jawan. Some of the comments we have got recently are, ‘I will come and see Oppenheimer but I am actually waiting for Jawan’!”
In Inox Srinagar, Oppenheimer is playing four shows a day in the English version and one show is of the dubbed Hindi version. Vikas Dhar continued, “Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy have such a hardcore fan following here. It is a lesson for us that even in Kashmir, people are following these artists. Our audiences have acquired an international taste. It’s quite fascinating.”
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has collected nearly Rs. 30 crores in two days in India and has a shot at crossing the Rs. 100 crores mark.
Also Read: Oppenheimer Box Office: Film emerges as the 7th highest opening day grosser in India
