'Padmaavat' box office: Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor starrer to mint Rs 20 crore on Day 1?

Finally! After being mired into controversies for over a year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat has hit the silver screens on Thursday. While the massive protests, violence and threats against the film by Karni Sena did affect the screening of the film at several places, nevertheless, it did not discourage the cinema lovers from catching a show of the film amidst tight security as well. 

The movie had received a great response in the advance booking and trade experts feels that Padmaavat should open to a decent number, despite it being a working day on January 25. Trade expert Amul Mohan told BollywoodLife, "It’s a working day but given the atmosphere and the vibe around the film I think it will open with a big number, anything plus Rs 20 crore is expected." Another trade expert Akshaye Rathi told BL that the film may mint around Rs 25 to 30 crore on day one. 

Several reports suggested that the morning shows in Delhi recorded about 70-75% occupancy while the occupancy in Mumbai for the morning shows remained between 45-50%. However, the numbers are expected to increase by the end of the day and definitely on January 26 on account of a national holiday. 

While the final numbers are still awaited, the film has gathered a good word of mouth post the paid preview shows on Wednesday. Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in the leads, the film is based on a poem by the same name written by the 16th century Sufi poet Malik Muhammed Jayasi.