Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan's latest movie Jhund hit the screens on March 4 much to the delight of 'Shahenshah' fans. The film garnered a reasonable amount of attention prior to its release as it marks Marathi filmmaker Nagraj Manjule's Bollywood debut and maiden collaboration with the veteran star. So did this help the sports drama open to a good response at the box office? Here's the detailed report.
Day 1 box office collection
Jhund opened to a fair response at the box office despite not being a typical 'masala' entertainer. Its day 1 collection will be between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore, according to initial estimates. The film has made a decent impact in Maharastra, which is isn't too surprising given the fact that Manjule has previously directed popular Marathi movies such as Fandry and Sairat. It has, however, not done as well as expected in mass centers.
Deep dive
Jhund would have fared better had it not hit the screens alongside the Hollywood biggie The Batman, the top choice of the 'Gen Y' audience in urban markets. The film faced competition from the Malayalam gangster drama Bheeshma Parvam in Kerala. Gangubai Kathiawadi, which hit the screens on February 25, remained strong in its second week and put up good numbers in mass markets. The fact that Manjule is not a big brand in Hindi cinema too may have affected its prospects outside Maharastra.
The background
The film comes at a time when Bollywood is on the road to recovery after the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Badhaai Do, the first movie to hit the screens after restrictions were lifted, opened to a slow response but picked up a bit in the days to follow due to the positive word of mouth. It was, however, Gangubai Kathiawadi that helped the box office regain its mojo as it collected Rs 10.5 crore on its opening day.
The road ahead
Jhund has received positive reviews with critics lauding Big B's performance and the strong message. The word of mouth is quite healthy, which should help the film put up good numbers over the weekend. It, however, will face stiff competition from Prabhas' Radhe Shyam, slated to hit the screens on March 11, in its second week.
What's next for Big B?
With Jhund in theatres, Big B is set to turn his attention to Project K, which features Prabhas and Deepika Padukone in the lead. He also has the Ajay Devgn-directed Runway 34 and the Karan Johar-backed Brahmastra in his kitty.