This year's major clash at the Bollywood box office was between Vicky Kaushal's patriotic biography 'Sam Bahadur' and Ranbir Kapoor's action-packed 'Animal.' Both films underwent extensive promotional campaigns and offered advance booking options. Despite their distinct themes, audiences are drawing comparisons between the two. Despite 'Animal' having an A rating and a longer runtime, trade experts anticipate that it might surpass 'Sam Bahadur' in performance. According to reports, Ranbir's film has also outpaced Vicky Kaushal's starrer in terms of advance bookings and projected opening day revenues.
As reported by India Today, expert Akshaye Rathi observes a familiar scenario that evokes a sense of déjà vu. In the past, there was a clash between 'Gadar 2' and 'OMG 2' on August 15, both highly anticipated films with distinct themes that ultimately performed well. Another expert, Ramesh Bala, shares a similar sentiment, predicting that Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal' will outperform Meghna Gulzar's 'Sam Bahadur.' Bala attributes this expectation to the mass-oriented, youth-centric nature of 'Animal,' contrasting with the niche appeal of 'Sam Bahadur.' He anticipates that 'Animal' will have stronger traction at the box office, evident in advanced bookings where Ranbir's film is significantly ahead. Bala forecasts an opening of Rs 40 crore in Hindi for 'Animal,' potentially reaching Rs 50 crore nett on Day 1 when considering South collections. In contrast, he predicts 'Sam Bahadur' may earn only about Rs 5-7 crore nett on its opening day in India.
Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, 'Animal' features Ranbir Kapoor in the protagonist's role. Ranbir portrays Rannvijay Singh, a character characterized as ruthless and ambitious, demonstrating a willingness to go to extreme lengths to realize his objectives. The narrative explores the complex and tumultuous relationship between a father and his son. On the other hand, Sam Bahadur directed by Meghna Gulzar, the movie also includes performances by Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh alongside Vicky. This film marks a reunion between Vicky and Meghna Gulzar, who previously collaborated on the movie 'Raazi.'