The Rohit Shetty comedy, Cirkus, front Ranveer Singh has taken off slowly at the box office in India. The comedy of errors underperformed the box office throughout the day as estimates suggest a first day collection of Rs 6.25 crore to Rs 6.50 crore. Cirkus came out with over 10,000 shows on its opening day and averaged a lowly 12 percent for the day, which is also way below expectations. A film of this magnitude was expected to start at Rs 15 crore, but there are times when the big films fail to live up to expectations. This is one of them.
Circus starts small
The three national chains – PVR, Inox and Cinepolis – have raised around Rs 3.20 crore and contributed approx. 50 percent of the total business. While PVR scored a total of Rs 1.50 crore, the other two chains Inox & Cinepolis have collected approx. 1.70 million ISK. The biggest surprise has come from the Gujarat belt, as the numbers from this belt have been shocking as Rohit Shetty films have usually done well in Gujarat, and the market is also known to score heavily for comedies. The Mumbai circuit has also been a big disappointment for this Rohit Shetty film, as the bulk of the audience in this belt is venturing out for Avatar: The Way of Water on the big screen.
The film needs to see huge jumps on Saturday and Sunday to somehow salvage the scenario after such a low start and the road ahead seems a bit tough considering the opening and the word of mouth.
The pricing was at a blockbuster level and as a result the numbers are even lower than the numbers suggest. The film has premiered during the festive week of Christmas and it remains to be seen whether or not it will be able to get any holidays during the run. This year, the lucrative festival window of Eid, Independence Day and Diwali has been disastrous for Hindi films and the opening of Cirkus also portends a boring Christmas. The lackluster start also indicates that the trailer of Cirkus didn’t generate any excitement among the audience, as a Rohit Shetty comedy with Ranveer Singh and the entire ensemble definitely warranted a much bigger start at face value.
Will Cirkus show an increase on Saturday and Sunday?
While the fortunes don’t change from now on, the jump in numbers on Saturday and Sunday, followed by a Monday equivalent to Friday, could give Cirkus a chance to pick up some performance numbers, though that looks unlikely as the report on the ground about the content is not appropriate. The film has sold around 3 lakh tickets on its opening day across the country. Cirkus is turning out to be one of those rare failures of Rohit Shetty, and this has also given an opportunity to all those who have been hiding in the closets since last 15 years and have been waiting for the man not to come out and vent his thoughts. But it is certain that he will come back stronger with Singham Again. The greatest directors have seen failure in their careers and that is always a part of every filmmaker’s journey.
As for Ranveer Singh, the actor is all set to be next seen in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, which pairs him opposite Alia Bhatt. The film rides on the formidable ensemble of Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi among others. As for Singham Again, the film is expected to go on floors in April with a start to finish schedule at multiple locations. It is directed by Ajay Devgn, and as Rohit Shetty revealed earlier, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone will also star in pivotal roles.
As far as the second day biz of Cirkus is concerned, the film is seeing a nominal jump at the box office in the morning shows and the trend towards noon and evening will tell us where the film is headed on its second day.
Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates on Cirkus’ box office report.
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