Industry insiders are stunned by the lackluster first day box office takings of Laal Singh Chaddha starring Aamir Khan and Raksha Bandhan with Akshay Kumar. We posed the question to industry experts and enquired about what could be the cause of this scenario.
Girish Johar, a notable film producer and business analyst, sighed deeply in disappointment over the box office start. Two high profile actors and movies, alongside promotional efforts across the nation and a successful music response, meant all of the boxes were ticked; but if audiences did not turn up, he felt that it was an indication that something had to be taken into consideration by the entire movie industry.
Veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh expressed shock and disbelief that Laal Singh Chaddha managed to collect only Rs. 11.70 crores on its first day, followed by a dismal Rs. 7.2 crores on the second day. He said, “It has been four years since an Aamir Khan film released and even the holiday of Raksha Bandhan didn’t help. It should have been expected to have at least Rs. 25 crores in opening collections. Additionally, it’s a big budget film, which adds to the pressure. There can be no excuses now as the markets are functioning fully.”
On the very first day, Raksha Bandhan premiered with only Rs. 8.20 crores, which then concluded to Rs. 6.4 crores on its second day. As a consequence, the combined Day 1 collection is only Rs. 20 crores and Day 2 is Rs. 13.66 crores, an extremely low number as compared to the anticipation. Trade analyst Atul Mohan said, “There was a time when a single big actor would make a minimum opening of Rs. 40-50 crores.”
Taran Adarsh expressed, “On a special day, both of the films collected around Rs. 20 crores. One can only imagine the kind of outcome had Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan released on an ordinary day.”
However, Atul Mohan remarked that Raksha Bandhan is not considered a major holiday; the morning and afternoon movie screenings tend to be unpopular as individuals are occupied with celebrations and family gatherings. Nevertheless, people go to the movies during the evening if the reviews are positive.
Regrettably, Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan failed to capitalize on the anticipated buzz of viewing films and the cinematic allure, as the enthrallment is slowly disappearing.
