'Shehzada' box office: 'Pathaan', 'Ant-Man 3' clash affects Kartik Aaryan-starrer
What's the story
Kartik Aaryan has marked his debut as a producer with Shehzada. Aaryan and his other co-producers had laid their hopes on the film, especially after the box office success of the actor's previous film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. However, Shehzada could reportedly only earn half the collections of what Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 made on its opening day. Read all about Shehzada's box office collections here.
Context
Why does this story matter?
A Rohit Dhawan directorial, Shehzada stars Aaryan and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles. The film also features an impressive supporting cast comprising Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Ronit Roy, Sachin Khedekar, and Sunny Hinduja, among others. Rajpal Yadav was also seen in a small role in the movie. Dhawan's third offering was released in the theaters on Friday (February 17).
Details
Film saw 14.05% occupancy: Reports
Considering the mass popularity that Aaryan holds and the numbers he enjoyed with his last offering, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Shehzada has failed to recreate the same magic for him. While Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 opened at Rs. 14 crore on its first day, Shehzada's collections stand at Rs. 7.1 crore (domestic; estimates), per industry tracker Sacnilk. The occupancy in the theaters was reportedly 14.05%.
Lucrative offer
'Buy-one-get-one' offer on tickets helped reach this figure?
The makers of Shehzada launched a "buy-one-get-one" offer for tickets on the ticket booking website giant BookMyShow. The offer was aimed at luring the audience to come to the theaters. According to Box Office India, going by the first-day collection figures of the movie, it appears that the offer may have helped the movie reach the figure of Rs. 7.1 crore.
Competition
'Shehzada' facing competition from 'Pathaan', 'Ant-Man 3'
Shehzada was earlier slated to release on February 10. But its release date was later pushed to February 17, owing to Pathaan's run at the box office. Despite the release delay, the Aryan-led Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo remake locked horns with Pathaan and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While the Shah Rukh Khan-led movie collected Rs. 2.5 crore on Friday, Ant-Man 3 earned Rs. 9 core.
Missed benefit
Trade experts believe 'Shehzada' could have benefitted from solo release
Film trade experts are of the belief that the Shehzada makers should not have shifted their release date from February 10. Although it paved the way for Pathaan, the film landed in a different competition from a Marvel film. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Shehzada could have benefitted from a solo release by totally avoiding a direct clash with Ant-Man 3.
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