Box Office Slowdown for Batwara 1947
Sunny Deol's period drama 'Batwara 1947' has experienced a sharp decline in box-office collections following a strong opening weekend. According to Sacnilk, the film managed just Rs 2 crore on Monday, August 17, a dramatic fall from its weekend numbers. After four days, the film's India net collection stands at Rs 28.50 crore, a figure that includes collections from its extended Independence Day run.
The film opened with Rs 5.75 crore on Friday, before a significant jump on Saturday, when it earned Rs 13.50 crore. However, momentum faltered on Sunday, with collections dropping to Rs 7.25 crore. Reports differ on the exact percentage of this decline: one account from India Today cites a drop of around 46 per cent from Saturday, while The Times of India reports the figure at approximately 22 per cent. This divergence reflects a broader uncertainty about the film's performance trajectory.
The Monday decline was even bigger, with collections falling nearly 72 per cent, as reported by India Today. India gross collections stand at Rs 33.95 crore, while worldwide collections have reached Rs 40.20 crore.
Surge of Awarapan 2
Competition has been fierce from Emraan Hashmi's 'Awarapan 2', which India Today describes as the clear winner of the box-office clash. The film collected Rs 9.25 crore on Monday and has reached Rs 91 crore in India nett after just four days, putting it within touching distance of the Rs 100 crore mark.
'Batwara 1947', produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, stars Sunny Deol as Sikandar Mirza, a Muslim man who moves to Pakistan following Partition. While the period drama has reportedly received favourable reviews from critics, that positivity has not translated into strong box-office numbers.
Ten-Day Performance and Financial Concerns
Extended data from The Times of India shows that after ten days, the film's net collection in India is Rs 36.80 crore, with worldwide gross of Rs 52.52 crore. The second Friday marked the lowest daily collection at Rs 75 lakh, before a slight rebound to Rs 1.15 crore on the second Saturday and Rs 1.30 crore on the second Sunday. An earlier six-day figure of approximately Rs 32 crore net was also cited by The Times of India.
The film's reported budget is Rs 120 crore. The Times of India noted that the film's underperformance is concerning for its makers, and there is speculation that it could become the second consecutive flop for both Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, who also stars. The Times of India also reported that the film may end with losses around Rs 80 crore, based on its current trajectory, though this is a prediction rather than a confirmed figure.
The Times of India reported that Tuesday's small uptick of Rs 2.25 crore (a 12.5% increase over Monday) coincided with the film being screened across 6,608 shows, with discounted ticket prices at several multiplexes. However, that gain was short-lived, as Wednesday (Day 6) collections fell to Rs 1.40 crore, and Thursday brought Rs 1.30 crore.