It seems like actor Akshay Kumar will finally be able to end the box office struggle with the release of Sky Force. The film is set to release on the big Republic Day this year and has already started receiving positive reviews. An emotional war drama produced by Dinesh Vijay’s Maddock Films, it also marks the Bollywood debut of Veer Pahadia.

Advance booking of the film started off slow, but picked up as positive buzz spread on social media. As of 6 pm on Thursday, Sky Force sold around 86,905 tickets, earning around Rs 2.1 crore on the opening day, the trade website reported. SacnilkThe total amount raised so far including block seats is Rs 3.44 crore.

With the increase in advance bookings from Thursday evening, the film may earn Rs 7-9 crore nett on Friday. The collection could even go up to Rs 10 crore, considering that Friday tickets are being sold at a lower price of Rs 30-70.

Following the press screening held early Thursday, many critics praised the film on social media. Word-of-mouth is expected to increase from here, which will further strengthen the film’s performance at the box office. Not to forget, it is going to benefit heavily from the Republic Day weekend at the ticket window, which means the collections on Saturday and Sunday could be much better than our expectations. Just like the movie.

Sky Force is directed by Abhishek Anil Kapoor and Sandeep Kewlani, it also stars Sara Ali Khan and Nimrat Kaur in important roles.