Hyderabad: Despite getting good reviews, Kartik Aaryan's Chandu Champion has seen its worst opening in years. The sports biopic, based on the life of India's first Paralympics gold medalist Murlikant Petkar, was helmed by Kabir Khan, known for hits like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Ek Tha Tiger. Khan, fresh off the underwhelming performances of Tubelight and 83, directed this inspirational tale.
As per early estimates by industry tracker Sacnilk, Chandu Champion pulled in approximately Rs 4.75 crore on its opening day. This marks Kartik Aaryan's lowest opening since 2015's Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, his breakthrough film. It's also nearly half of what his last release, Satyaprem Ki Katha, earned on its opening day last year - Rs 8.25 crore. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Kartik's first post-pandemic film, started strong with Rs 14.11 crore on its opening day and went on to gross Rs 265.5 crore globally.
The film has performed slightly better than early predictions. In a press note, shared Chandu Champion box office collection update.
"The tremendous love from the audience has got the film an opening of Rs 5.4 crore at the box office in India on day one. It's indeed a good start for the film, and looking at the kind of buzz and excitement the film has generated with the strong word of mouth the film will jump in its collection over the weekend," they said.
Chandu Champion recorded an overall occupancy of 16.84 percent, despite tickets being priced at Rs 150 on Friday. In Mumbai, with 723 shows, the occupancy stood at 19.25 percent. Delhi and NCR registered a 19.50 percent occupancy across 870 shows.
The disappointing opening of Chandu Champion continues Kabir Khan's rough patch at the box office. His last outing, Ranveer Singh's 83, began with Rs 12.64 crore before being cut short by a pandemic wave, ultimately grossing Rs 193 crore globally. Khan's earlier successes include Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Ek Tha Tiger, and Tubelight.
Despite extensive promotion, Chandu Champion faces stiff competition from the sleeper hit supernatural thriller Munjya, which continues to draw audiences. On its eighth day, Munjya earned nearly a crore less than Chandu's film, with Rs 3.35 crore. Munjya, with limited promotion and no major stars, had a strong opening day with Rs 4 crore in earnings.
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