Kalki 2898 AD is on a box office rampage. The movie easily took the best weekend debut for an Indian film globally, and even some of the international publications that cover the box office have hailed the Nag Ashwin directorial for this feat. Kalki 2898 AD has been reportedly made on a budget of INR 650 crore, and as per the producers' official figures, the movie has made INR 555 crore over its extended weekend (Kalki 2898 AD was released on a Thursday, that is, June 27, 2024). ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ Movie Review: Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan’s Sci-Fi Film Is Far From Perfect but Impresses With Nag Ashwin’s World-Building.

Here's where the contention comes for the veracity of these numbers. Some trade analysts claim that the actual trade numbers for Kalki 2898 AD have been much lesser than what the producers claim the movie had collected in its first four days. They have claimed that Kalki 2898 AD has collected INR 470 crore plus (which is certainly an admirable figure), but the makers have inflated the numbers by INR 70-80 crores.

'Difference ₹ 85 Cr Gross'

'Studio-Reported Estimates'

'Fake Collections'

'Rs 482 Crore Globally in 4 Days'

So, giving inflated collections is not a new practice for Indian film producers. While Bollywood films are under scrutiny due to comparatively streamlined tracking processes, it is difficult to put checks down South, where most publications have to rely on producers to share collections rather than track the earnings from B and C centres. Recently, even Malayalam cinema's producer's body warned the industry not to push inflated collections just to show a better success track. Prabhas, the lead star of Kalki 2898 AD, has also seen his past movies like Salaar, Saaho and Adipurush being accused of inflating the collections, especially in the southern territories. 'Kalki 2898 AD' Box Office: Prabhas' Sci-Fi Film Creates History As It Mints Over USD 11 Million in Its First Weekend in North America.

In the case of Kalki 2898 AD, the movie didn't really need to depend on allegedly inflated collections since the sci-fi entertainer is doing quite well in nearly all territories. Even the Hindi version has collected more than INR 120 crore in a matter of five days. Kalki 2898 AD is also doing exceptionally well overseas, so such practices, if done, only undermine a genuine box office run.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2024 01:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).