New Delhi: The mixed reviews seem to have done the trick and Karan Johar’s period drama Kalank is staring at an unimpressive opening weekend number of ₹62.50 crore. According to trade website Box Office India, despite recording the highest opening day numbers of 2019 so far ( ₹21 crore), the film remained flat even on a partial holiday like Friday, ensuring that it pretty much loses the box office battle.
“Kalank is clearly underperforming. Dips on day four (Saturday). Trending is weak, so big business on day five (Sunday) is ruled out," tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh about the film that features Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt in lead roles and has been directed by Abhishek Varman of 2 States fame.
Box Office India added that the business of the film is mainly restricted to metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru with tier-two and tier-three towns just not taking to the film. Bigger areas throwing up impressive numbers on certain days could also be attributed to the fact that Good Friday is more of a metro holiday rather than a mass one like Holi. At last count, the business in Mumbai stands at ₹20 crore while Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have brought in ₹13 crore. Meanwhile the best circuit for the film in the country is probably Mysore with ₹4 crore. East Punjab is poor with business of ₹3 crore when it should be nearly double that of an area like Mysore given the north Indian setting of the film.
Adarsh said that the film, however, is enjoying a better run in the overseas market where it has collected $3.9 million (Rs. 27.43 crore) at last count including $ 1.42 million in the US and Canada, £483,000 in the UK, $ 950,000 in the UAE and Gulf and A$ 522,000 in Australia.
Reviews for the film set in 1940s Lahore call it both an unimpressive love story and an unworthy addition to the Partition narrative. Made at a budget of ₹150 crore, makers Sajid Nadiadwala, Dharma Productions and Fox Star Studios are looking at huge losses.
Moreover, given the arrival of Hollywood spectacle Avengers: Endgame this Friday, advance booking for whom is super solid, there is little chance for Kalank for bounce back.
Meanwhile, there is some good news down south. Tamil horror comedy Kanchana 3 is drawing huge family audiences, with a first day earning of ₹10.5 crore in Tamil Nadu alone. The film is also strong in the Telugu-speaking states and Malaysia.
