Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani starrer Laxmii has become the biggest opening film ever on an OTT platform. It has even broken the record of Sushant Singh Rajput’s last film Dil Bechara which released this year on July 24. Laxmii had a direct-to-digital release on Disney+Hotstar due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an appreciation-cum-announcement post, Fox Star Studios and Disney+Hotstar tweeted about the film garnering the biggest opening on the digital platform. Disney+Hotstar wrote on social media, “#Laxmii breaks all records to become the biggest opening movie ever on Disney+ Hotstar VIP! Thank you for all the love. Subscribe now to watch the entertainment blockbuster of the year (sic).” Earlier they had made a similar announcement when Sushant’s Dil Bechara was released on the online streaming platform.
#Laxmii breaks all records to become the biggest opening movie ever on Disney+ Hotstar VIP! Thank you for all the love. Subscribe now to watch the entertainment blockbuster of the year. #FoxStarStudios #DisneyPlusHotstarMultiplex #YehDiwaliLaxmiiWali pic.twitter.com/QdCIl4t6gX
— Disney+HotstarVIP (@DisneyplusHSVIP) November 10, 2020
On the other hand, Fox Star Studios wrote, “#Laxmii breaks all records to become the biggest opening movie ever on @DisneyplusHSVIP ! Thank you for all the love. Subscribe now to watch the entertainment blockbuster of the year (sic).”
#Laxmii breaks all records to become the biggest opening movie ever on @DisneyplusHSVIP! Thank you for all the love. Subscribe now to watch the entertainment blockbuster of the year.#FoxStarStudios #DisneyPlusHotstarMultiplex #YehDiwaliLaxmiiWali pic.twitter.com/UTswoxS7GH
— Fox Star Hindi (@foxstarhindi) November 10, 2020
Akshay was overwhelmed with the opening Laxmii received as well. In a press statement he expressed his gratitude towards his fans and said, “I am overwhelmed and overjoyed by the response that Laxmii received. It’s heartening to know that audiences and fans from across the country logged on to Disney+ Hotstar VIP to watch the movie within hours of its release. Who doesn’t love beating records – whether it’s at the box-office or opening night on streaming platforms. Nothing is comparable to this feeling of euphoria.”
Most of Akshay’s films have gone on to make big bucks at the box office. Last year the actor gave four releases which all turned out to be blockbuster hits at the big screen. He started 2019 with Kesari that earned around Rs 207.09 crores and followed it up with Mission Mangal that again collected Rs. 290.59 worldwide. Akshay’s next release was the mad-cap comedy Housefull 4 that raked in Rs. 280.27 crores and the actor ended the year on a high note with Good Newwz that collected Rs. 318.57 crores. As per sources, "Mission Mangal did Rs 29 crore on day 1 i.e. 1.7 million people saw it in theatres. 2X of audiences who watched Mission Mangal in theatres, saw Laxmii on Day 1 which premiered on DisneyHotstar."
Since Laxmii has released on digital, the box office numbers cannot be collated. However, with the bumper opening that the film has received it is not hard to conclude that the film would have gone on to become a super duper hit if it had released theatrically. Nevertheless, with the massive OTT opening it has received, it only goes to prove that Akshay not only rules the box office but has taken the digital platform by storm too!