What happens when a modest-budget English-language horror film goes head-to-head with a pan-India spectacle backed by a superstar, a leading heroine, a legendary composer, and a massive budget? If Saturday’s BookMyShow trends are any indication, the answer is not what many would have expected.
On Saturday, Obsession emerged ahead of Ram Charan’s Peddi in terms of ticket bookings on BookMyShow. The horror thriller recorded 45.22K bookings in the last 24 hours, while Peddi followed with 37.68K bookings.
The numbers become even more interesting when the release timelines are taken into account. Obsession managed the feat on day 24 of its theatrical run, whereas Peddi posted its numbers on day 18. In other words, the English-language film is continuing to draw audiences even in its fourth weekend.
On paper, this is a comparison that shouldn’t exist. Peddi has Ram Charan in the lead, Janhvi Kapoor as the female lead, music by legendary AR Rahman, a multi-language release strategy, and all the advantages that come with a big-budget commercial entertainer. Obsession, meanwhile, is a comparatively small horror film with none of those strengths.
Of course, this does not mean Obsession is a bigger film overall than Peddi. The Ram Charan starrer remains the larger film in terms of scale and box-office footprint. However, the latest BookMyShow trend does highlight one important point – audiences ultimately gravitate towards films that keep them engaged.
For now, Obsession has pulled off a genuinely surprising feat. Nearly a month after release, it is attracting more ticket buyers on BookMyShow than one of the biggest star-driven films currently playing in theatres. And that is certainly a trend worth noticing.
