Kabir Khan’s sports drama “Chandu Champion,” featuring Kartik Aaryan in the titular role, has received mostly positive reviews from critics. Despite the favorable reception, the film’s performance at the box office on its opening day was underwhelming. According to reports, “Chandu Champion” earned only ₹3.97 crores on Friday in the domestic market.
This figure marks Kartik Aaryan’s lowest opening day collection not only since the pandemic began but also in the last eight years. The last time one of his films had a similarly low opening was in 2017 with Ashwini Dhir’s comedy “Guest Iin London,” which was before Kartik’s breakout role in Luv Ranjan’s 2018 buddy comedy “Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety.” That film had a significantly better opening, earning ₹6.42 crore. Subsequently, Kartik’s 2019 romantic comedy “Luka Chuppi,” directed by Laxman Utekar, opened at ₹8.01 crore, while Mudassar Aziz’s rom-com “Pati Patni Aur Woh” (2019) garnered ₹9.10 crore on its first day. Even Imtiaz Ali’s critically panned 2020 romantic drama “Love Aaj Kal” achieved a higher opening day collection of ₹12 crore.
The context of the pre-pandemic era is notably different, but Kartik Aaryan’s post-pandemic track record has generally been strong. While two of his films, Ram Madhvani’s 2021 thriller “Dhamaka” and Shashanka Ghosh’s 2022 psychological thriller “Freddy,” were released directly on digital platforms, his theatrical releases have shown promising box office results. Anees Bazmee’s 2022 horror-comedy “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2” revitalized the Hindi film industry’s box office with an impressive opening of ₹14.11 crore. Even though Rohit Dhawan’s 2023 action film “Shehzada” did not perform well overall, it still opened with a respectable ₹6 crore. More recently, Kartik’s 2023 romantic drama “Satyaprem Ki Katha,” directed by Sameer Vidwans, debuted with ₹8.25 crore.
The unexpectedly low opening of “Chandu Champion” raises questions about the factors contributing to its performance. Despite the star power of Kartik Aaryan and the directorial prowess of Kabir Khan, the film’s box office numbers reflect a significant gap between critical acclaim and audience turnout. This disparity might be attributed to several factors, including competition from other releases, marketing effectiveness, and audience preferences shifting in the post-pandemic landscape. The film industry will be closely watching how “Chandu Champion” fares in the coming days, hoping for a stronger performance through positive word-of-mouth and weekend collections.
Chandu Champion Budget
The budget for Kartik Aaryan’s film “Chandu Champion,” jointly produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Kabir Khan, is reportedly around ₹140 crore. This substantial investment reflects the producers’ confidence in the film’s potential to draw large audiences. The budget allocation covers various aspects such as high-quality production values, state-of-the-art visual effects, extensive location shoots, and the star-studded cast and crew. Additionally, the marketing and promotional campaigns for “Chandu Champion” have been extensive, aiming to generate significant buzz and anticipation among moviegoers. Given the substantial budget, the film’s financial performance in the coming weeks will be crucial in determining its overall success and return on investment.
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