The aerial war drama Sky Force may be the only Hindi film of 2025 to cross the INR 100 crore mark, but doubts persist over the authenticity of its reported collections. Produced by Maddock Films and Jio Studios, the film - starring Akshay Kumar, Veer Pahariya (in his acting debut), Nimrat Kaur, and Sara Ali Khan - has faced allegations of inflated earnings through block booking (bulk reservation of theatre seats to feign sold-out shows) and drastic ticket price reductions during its initial days. ‘Sky Force’ Box Office Verdict – Hit or Flop: Akshay Kumar-Veer Pahariya’s Movie Faces Scrutiny Over Its Collections – Here’s What Happened!

Trade analyst Komal Nahta recently dissected these claims on his video channel, highlighting two contentious strategies. First, he addressed the pricing tactics: "Sky Force offered tickets on BookMyShow at INR 300, with a refund of INR 250 per ticket, effectively reducing the cost to INR 50 for viewers. However, collections were reportedly calculated based on the original INR 300 price."

Nahta elaborated, "If one lakh tickets were booked at INR 300 each, the declared revenue would be INR 3 crore. But since INR 250 per ticket was refunded, only INR 50 lakh reached theatre owners. The remaining INR 2.5 crore remains unaccounted for, yet the official figures still reflect INR 3 crore.” He criticised this as a manipulative ploy to artificially boost footfall and create a false perception of demand, particularly among non-FDFS (First Day First Show) audiences.

Komal Nahta's Video on 'Sky Force' Collections:

The second tactic, Nahta revealed, involved block booking: "If a theatre with 300 seats sold 40 tickets, the producers purchased the remaining 260 seats, prompting a ‘Housefull’ board. Audiences arriving for screenings, however, found near-empty halls. While producers reportedly claimed INR 80 crore in collections, actual earnings were closer to INR 40–50 crore." What is ‘Corporate Booking’? All You Need To Know About Manipulatory Box Office Tactic ‘Singham Again’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ Are Being Accused of Indulging.

Nahta clarified that Sky Force isn’t the sole offender, alleging similar practices in unnamed 2023–2024 releases and another film released on February 7, 2025. He also hinted at a current Hindi release - releasing on February 14  - employing the same strategy. With a coy smile, Nahta seemingly pointed to Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava (also produced by Maddock Films), though he refrained from explicitly naming it.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2025 02:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).