Rajkummar Rao’s latest film, Bhool Chuk Maaf, made a decent start at the box office on its opening day despite facing several challenges such as multiple release delays, a legal tussle with PVR cinemas, and mixed critical reviews. According to box office tracker Sacnilk, the film collected Rs 7.20 crore on Day 1.
The film’s opening was strong compared to some recent releases but still fell short of the big numbers seen by other films. Akshay Kumar’s Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh earned Rs 7.75 crore on its first day, while Sunny Deol’s Jaat collected Rs 9.5 crore. On the other hand, Bhool Chuk Maaf performed better than John Abraham’s The Diplomat (Rs 4 crore) and Shahid Kapoor’s Deva (Rs 5.5 crore).
Interestingly, the film released alongside Sooraj Pancholi’s Kesari Veer, which had a weak start with just Rs 25 lakh on Day 1. In comparison to Rajkummar Rao’s previous works, Bhool Chuk Maaf outdid Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video (Rs 5.5 crore) and Srikanth (Rs 2.25 crore). The film’s opening day earnings matched those of Mr and Mrs Mahi but it still trails behind Rao’s biggest opener Stree 2, which raked in a whopping Rs 51 crore on its debut.
Occupancy rates for Bhool Chuk Maaf averaged 19.36% across India on Day 1. The morning shows started modestly at 9.4% occupancy but saw a rise throughout the day, peaking at 31.27% in the evening. The highest turnout came from the National Capital Region (NCR) with 21.5%, followed by Bengaluru (25%), Mumbai (19.5%), and Pune (17.75%).
The film is expected to release on OTT platforms within two weeks, which could affect its box office run in the long term.
Directed by Karan Sharma and produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, Bhool Chuk Maaf also features acclaimed actors Seema Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra, Zakir Hussain, and Raghubir Yadav in key roles.
Sources By Agencies
