That Meray Paas Tum Ho is a phenomenon unlike any other in recent Pakistani television history is beyond any doubt. The Humayun Saeed-Ayeza Khan starrer broke one TRP record after another as the episodes kept building momentum towards what promised to be a grand, unexpected finale. Prior to the airing of its concluding back-to-back double-episodes, the show also managed to create new benchmarks for digital viewership, with its aggregate views on YouTube alone estimated to be over 400 million.
Given the massive buzz, the makers decided to go ahead with a nationwide theatrical release of the finale, however, what no one expected was the kind of response it would generate. Roughly 60-70% of the screenings were fully sold out in advance, and the craze was pretty much the same across the big-three metros as well as the smaller centers. The bigger multiplexes in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore scheduled as many as 12 shows, and some like Nueplex in Karachi screened even a higher number. It was certain that the finale would take quite a big opening.
Saturday estimates put the finale’s box office tally at over 2 Crores, which is a spectacularly high number, even for a blockbuster opening on the lucrative Eids. That a television show managed to achieve this, that too in a historically slow month like January, just proves that in the end, content coupled with hype and star value is what sells at the ticket counters. The grand opening serves to drive home the point that Pakistani filmmakers need to seriously focus on taking up the challenge of scoring on all three counts for a box office win – which this television drama has proved can happen at any point in the year.
The opening day box office numbers were second only to Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2 for star Humayun Saeed and director Nadeem Baig, who have collaborated on quite a few mega-projects now. The final numbers when they come in could go even higher given the late-night surge, which will be another win for the serial. The kind of audience endorsement MPTH has received on television, digital platforms and theaters will take star Humayun Saeed to an all-new high, setting high expectations for a fantastic response to his next titled London Nahi Jaunga, which like MPTH has been penned by Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and is to be directed by Nadeem Baig.
The weekend total for the serial will be determined by the figures for Sunday, which will be lower than the earth-shattering Saturday. That being said, the overall reception at cinemas has been nothing short of astounding from the perspective of an industry observer. The question remains: Is the show headed for a sequel? And if so, will it be a film or a play?
Stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood to find out!
Note: All figures are estimates courtesy Boxofficedetail
