83 box office: Cricket biopic 83 was released about two weeks ago and it had been an anticipated release. However, once the film was released, it hardly performed well at the box office, much to the disappointment of filmmaker Kabir Khan. Speaking with news agency PTI, Khan said that his headspace was a mixed bag two weeks after the film hit the theatres. The mixed emotions stemmed from the fact that the film received a lot of love from the audience, but the coronavirus pandemic hit the box office collections of 83, the report said.
The film revolves around the Indian cricket team’s World Cup win in 1983 under the captaincy of legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, who is portrayed by Ranveer Singh in the project. India had,in 1983, defeated the daunting West Indies in the final match of the tournament and had blazed its way to its first-ever World Cup victory.
It has been anticipated that when 83 released in Hindi, alongwith Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada, it would take the box office by a storm and create history – much like the event that it was depicting. And so, the film hit the screens on December 24 last year. However, despite multiple stars being cast in the film and the event it portrayed, 83 failed to convert to numbers the string of positive reviews it received from critics.
The report cited production house Reliance Entertainment and said that till now, the domestic collection of the Ranveer Singh-starrer has been over Rs 97 crore.
Kabir Khan said that the film became a “victim” to the pandemic, adding that 83 still performed decently given the many COVID-19 restrictions – like only 50% occupancy in theatres in key states and complete closure of cinema halls in Haryana as well as Delhi. The report further cited him as saying that he felt exhilarated that he could create this film that was loved by many viewers, but he added that he was disappointed at the fact that the coronavirus restrictions were preventing many interested people from watching it. He also shared that the team “nurtured” 83 for a span of two years and waited to be able to release the film on big screens at a time when people could see it, but the pandemic interfered despite their best efforts.
He said that the COVID-19 cases exploded on the day they released the film and it increased in a manner that within 10 days, the daily figures crossed 1 lakh. Khan further said that 48 hours before the film was released, they had received indication that things could spiral but by then it was too late for them change the plans, the report said.
Many states announced night curfews and cinema hall restrictions shortly after the film released, and as per Khan, the severity of the cases led to the team remaining on its toes. They were left to constantly monitor what had shut down and what new restrictions were put in place across different states.
Khan said that what went wrong with the film was the pandemic and they did not have a chance to fight back against it, because coronavirus did not just mean closure of theatres, but also a change in the psyche.
He, however, also complained that the trade showed the box office figures of 83 without putting them in the context of a raging pandemic. Khan said that the collections of the film were being compared with the figures of films that were released before the COVID era, when times were normal. Despite losing hundreds of screens and theatres, he said that the film collected Rs 180 crore worldwide.
Khan added that 83 would receive its due in the future, as the film would not be forgotten and was here to stay.
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