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The epic remake of Hollywood hit Forrest Gump, Laal Singh Chaddha, which opened on Thursday amid calls for a boycott, had a poor opening day at the box office. According to early estimates, the film narrowly beat out fellow Independence Day weekend release Raksha Bandhan. According to Box Office India, Laal Singh Chaddha earned Rs 10.75 crore on its first day, which was described as’shocking’. According to Bollywood Hungama, this will be Aamir Khan’s lowest opening in the last 13 years.
In comparison, Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan, considered one of the most infamous flops in Hindi box office history, made Rs 52 crore on its first day, breaking the previous record (that has since been broken). If projections are correct, Laal Singh Chaddha will have the third-largest opening day for a Hindi film in 2022, trailing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Rs 14.1 crore), Bachchhan Paandey (Rs 13.2 crore), and Samrat Prithviraj (Rs 10.7 crore), Gangubai Kathiawadi (Rs 10.5 crore), and Shamshera (Rs 10.5 crore) (Rs 10.2 crore). As you can see, even a minor deviation could have a significant impact on Laal Singh Chaddha’s position. The final box office figures are still awaited.
The fact that Laal Singh Chaddha outperformed Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan isn’t much of a surprise, given that the film was made on a larger budget, over three years, and in a variety of locations. Raksha Bandhan was one of many Akshay Kumar projects that were completed at breakneck speed during the pandemic.
Both Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan arrive at a particularly difficult time for Bollywood, with several high-profile releases already failing at the box office. Both films also faced boycott calls on social media, which Aamir and Akshay have addressed. “I apologize if I have offended anyone in any way.” I don’t want to cause anyone any harm. If someone does not want to watch the film, I will respect their decision,” Aamir previously stated to the media. According to reports, the film sparked protests in some Indian cities.
Source:IE
