The overcast skies have unleashed heavy rains across significant regions of the country. However, a metaphorical storm is also brewing over the box office outlook for Akshay Kumar’s upcoming film, Sarfira, as advance bookings have shown little improvement by Day 2. As of Thursday at noon, only 1800 tickets have been sold across the top 3 national chains – PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis – for Sarfira.

Sarfira Advance Booking Update: Akshay Kumar film sells 1800 tickets across national multiplex chains for Day 1; sends shockwave in the industry

The Sudha Kongara directorial is competing now with Selfiee and Mission Raniganj in the pre-sales, and there is a chance for the film to end up being the lowest of the three by the end of Thursday. For those unaware, Mission Raniganj had sold 6,600 tickets in national chains and Selfiee had sold 8,200 tickets across these top 3 multiplexes.

The pre-sales figures for Sarfira are particularly alarming, falling even below those of Ishq Vishk, which managed to sell 12,000 tickets across national chains. Compared to Chandu Champion, a similar genre film released three weeks ago starring Kartik Aaryan, Sarfira‘s bookings are just one-tenth. This dismal advance booking performance suggests a bleak beginning and almost signals the end for the film before it even begins. Despite positive internal reports, the film faces an uphill battle due to these low advance sales, exacerbated by its high production costs. Such a start could reverberate through the Indian Film Industry, as it’s rare for a film headlined by a top superstar to open at such disappointing levels.

More Pages: Sarfira Box Office Collection