Actor Ranveer Singh's latest movie 83 opened to an impressive response at the box office on Friday (December 24), collecting Rs 15 crore on day 1. Its performance is comparable to that of Gully Boy as the 'rap saga' had collected nearly Rs 18 crore when it hit the screens in 2019.
It outperformed the mass movies Antim and Satyameva Jayate 2, which opened at Rs 4.5 crore and Rs 3.5 crore respectively last month. The biggie, however, failed to match the opening day collection of Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi. The actioner raked in nearly Rs 27 crore on the first day when it premiered on Diwali.
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The sports drama garnered attention because of Ranveer's star power and the fact that it revolves around the biggest moment in Indian cricket-- the win in the 1983 World Cup. That said, its collection could have been even better had it not been perceived to be a 'class' film. Moreover, the fact that cinemas in Maharashtra are operating at 50 per cent capacity affected its performance.
83, directed by Kabir Khan, features Ranveer as Kapil Dev and highlights how 'Paaji' led his men to victory in the World Cup even though they were the underdogs heading into the final against the West Indies. The film has strong patriotic undertones and a compelling narrative. It features Deepika Padukone as Romi Bhatia, Kapil's wife, and reunites her with her real-life husband. The cast includes Jiiva, Pankaj Tripathi, Wamiqa Gabbi, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk and Boman Irani.
83 has received positive reviews with most critics praising the execution and performances. The word of mouth is positive, which should help it remain strong over the weekend. It will also benefit from the Christmas holidays. The film is likely to have a free run during the weekdays. It will, however, face competition in the second week from Jersey, which is slated to hit the screens on December 31.