Shocking, indeed! Ranbir Kapoor’s highly anticipated Shamshera, which had all the potential to record the biggest box office opening for a Bollywood movie in 2022, has barely been able to break into the top 5. Everything seemed to be in favor of the film – its huge scale production [Karan Malhotra], dependable production house [YRF], bankable superstar [Ranbir Kapoor], in-form villain [Sanjay Dutt], highly efficient marketing and promotion strategies, an expansive release across 4000+ screens, and the absence of any competing movies at the same time – despite all these factors, the outcomes are indeed discouraging.
The film has struggled to cross the Rs. 10.25 crore mark, delivering an underwhelming performance for a wide release. Its meager per screen footfalls have baffled many, as it was estimated that the film would easily earn at least 15 crore and be the biggest opener of the year, exceeding Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 [Rs. 14.11 crores]. Its first day collection has not only fallen short of Akshay Kumar’s two releases – Bachchan Pandey [Rs. 13.25 crores] and Samrat Prithviraj [Rs. 10.70 crores] – but also Gangubai Kathiawadi [Rs. 10.50 crores], making this a tale of great disappointment.
This is certainly not great news for the industry as a movie of such stature should be able to at least make an impactful debut. This was the case with Thugs of Hindostan which managed to accumulate more than Rs. 50 crores on its first day. Unfortunately, its content wasn’t good enough and that resulted in it crashing shortly thereafter. Shamshera’s content is nothing like that, as it is a fun, action–packed revenge drama that shouldn’t be met with so much negativity. Despite its apparent quality, it seems to be finding its way to plenty of criticism.
Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources
