The recently released film Pyre has received unanimous appreciation from critics and audiences alike. It has also been in the news after its director, Vinod Kapri, alleged that the film is not getting enough screens. Interestingly, though Pyre has collected only a little more than Rs. 2 crores, its box-office trending has been impressive, despite stiff competition from Ramayana. In fact, the film could perform even better if allotted more shows.

Pyre began its box office journey by collecting Rs. 10 lakhs on its opening day, Friday, October 30. The collections jumped to Rs. 27 lakhs on Saturday and further to Rs. 49 lakhs on Sunday. Interestingly, the film passed the crucial Monday test with flying colours, collecting Rs. 16 lakhs, significantly higher than its opening-day earnings. The collections improved further to Rs. 19 lakhs on Tuesday, while Wednesday, too, remained steady at Rs. 17.04 lakhs, once again exceeding Friday's and Monday's figures.

The mighty Ramayana released on November 5 and, as a result, Pyre’s shows massively reduced. Yet, the collections didn't crash and it collected Rs. 5.77 lakhs and Rs. 5.51 lakhs on Thursday and Friday respectively.

On Saturday, November 7, the earnings doubled to Rs. 10.01 lakhs. Diwali fell on Sunday, November 8. All films suffered in cinemas that day, including Pyre, which collected just Rs. 4.95 lakhs. But on Monday, the film surprised by collecting Rs. 21.77 lakhs. Tuesday was even better at Rs. 22.07 lakhs.

Until November 10, Pyre has collected Rs. 2.09 crores. The film's box office trending has been impressive, with an average daily occupancy of over 30%, which is quite encouraging. In fact, occupancy jumped to a remarkable 60% on November 9 and remained strong at 56% on November 10. These figures make a strong case for better showcasing, particularly in cities and centres where the film is attracting considerable footfalls. If allotted more shows in such centres, Pyre could spring a bigger surprise and possibly end its lifetime run with collections of Rs. 5 crores.

Believe it or not

Pyre has collected more than the bigger films of October like Nakhrewaalii, Little Thomas, Tu Hai Meri Kiran, Tum Mere Ho, Doosra and Prem Keetanu. It is the sixth best-performing film of last month after Drishyam The Conclusion, Nayyi Navelli, Prahaar, Udta Teer and Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar. It may beat Pehla Pyaar Doosri Baar if it manages to cross the Rs. 4.25 crore mark.

Another fascinating trivia about the film is that Mumbai is usually the best-performing centre for Hindi films, while smaller towns tend to record limited footfalls. However, Pyre has sprung a HUGE surprise. Delhi is the film's top-performing centre in terms of tickets sold, followed by Dehradun. At number three is none other than the small town of Haldwani! Mumbai, meanwhile, is way down at the eighth position. This could be because Pyre is set in Uttarakhand, and audiences in Dehradun and Haldwani have possibly connected more strongly with its story. Nevertheless, it’s truly unbelievable and perhaps for the first time ever, the sleepy Uttarakhand town of Haldwani has beaten a mighty metropolitan city like Mumbai in terms of tickets sold!

Victory for Cinepolis

Pyre is distributed by Cinepolis and is yet another feather in the cap of the multiplex-cum-distribution company. Last year, it released The Taj Story, which emerged as a sleeper hit. Earlier this year, it distributed Hanuman Ansh, whose blockbuster box office performance stunned one and all. And now, with Pyre also springing a surprise at the ticket windows, Cinepolis has added another success story to its impressive track record.

The daily box-office collections of Pyre:

Friday, October 30 - Rs. 10.16 lakhs

Saturday, October 31 - Rs. 26.98 lakhs

Sunday, November 1 - Rs. 49.06 lakhs

Monday, November 2 - Rs. 15.93 lakhs

Tuesday, November 3 - Rs. 19.77 lakhs

Wednesday, November 4 - Rs. 17.04 lakhs

Thursday, November 5 - Rs. 5.77 lakhs

Friday, November 6 - Rs. 5.51 lakhs

Saturday, November 7 - Rs. 10.01 lakhs

Sunday, November 8 - Rs. 4.95 lakhs

Monday, November 9 - Rs. 21.77 lakhs

Tuesday, November 10 - Rs. 22.07 lakhs

TOTAL – Rs. 2.09 cr