Ranabaali advance bookings start slow ahead of October 16 release

Vijay Deverakonda and Rashmika Mandanna's Ranabaali reaches theatres on October 16, and its advance bookings have made a slow start. The film arrives a day after Rajinikanth's Jailer 2, which kicks off the Dasara releases.

Reports say Ranabaali collected 2 crore on the first day of bookings in India, with more than 145,000 tickets sold across over 1,600 shows.

A leading distributor said Telugu audiences celebrate Dasara in a big way in their home towns, but they may not rush to every film that comes out during the festival. "It could be superstar Rajinikanth or new age star Vijay Devarakonda but the content they are offering is key to decide the Dasara winner," he said.

Two smaller films also hope to ride the holiday mood, he added. Crazy Kalyanam, with Akhil Raj, Anupama Parameswaran and Tharun Bhascker, is due on Friday. Garividi Lakshmi, starring Anandhi, follows a Burra Katha artist in Andhra Pradesh and opens on Saturday.

Director Rahul Sankrityan calls Ranabaali an alternate-history film. It is set during a 19th-century famine in southern India under British rule, with Vijay playing a fictional hero who saves his people.