Despite the fact that Panipat deserved better, its box office receipts remained minimal throughout the weekend. On Sunday, it was unable to reach double-digit figures and this was dispiriting for a movie which had been in production for quite some time and with significant resources devoted to it. As an extravagant motion picture directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, the film carried substantial anticipations; although the pre-release publicity didn’t justify an impressive debut. Nevertheless, given its merits, it was hoped that there would be a revival after its launch.
On the weekend, the movie featuring Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt brought in a disappointing Rs. 17.68 crores; with Sunday’s collection only marginally better than Friday and Saturday’s at Rs. 7.78 crores – not nearly enough to reflect the hype of such a star-studded cast. Ideally, these figures should have been what the film earned on its opening day alone.
The weekend didn’t bode well for Panipat, as its initial numbers were low at Rs. 4.12 crores on Friday. A drop in figures from Monday onwards would be a blow for the film and make it difficult to keep afloat, especially with Pati Patni Aur Woh dominating the competition. Miraculous intervention may be needed to sustain the trend going forward.
