After a poor debut with Mirzya (2016), Harshvardhan Kapoor's second film, Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero, has also proved to be a turkey. The vigilante film made barely Rs1 crore nett in its first four days, as reported by BoxOfficeIndia.com.
Expectedly, after the poor start, exhibitors have slashed the number of screens for Bhavesh Joshi. Made at an estimated cost of Rs20 crore, Bhavesh Joshi was released on 800-1,000 screens, and this count has now been slashed by almost 40%, according to estimates.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan said, “Most exhibitors have cut down on Bhavesh Joshi screens by 30-40%. It has been replaced by Veere Di Wedding and holdover release Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran.”
Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said, “The rule of the game is survival of the fittest. Not only has Veere Di Wedding performed phenomenally well, Parmanu is holding well in the second week. In states like Maharashtra, Marathi films like Bucket List and Farzand have done well, too. Let’s face it, the multiplexes are in it to make money. Whichever film gets them the best revenues, they will push it further.”
Rathi did not comment on the screen reduction across India but said the size of the cut in Maharashtra would be around 20%.
Made at an estimated budget of Rs45 crore, Harshvardhan Kapoor's sister Sonam's Veere Di Wedding was released on over 2,000 screens across India and with collections of Rs40.25 crore nett in four days is well on its way to becoming a hit.
Bhavesh Joshi: Superhero got mixed reviews, but Atul Mohan said what might have hurt the film more was that it wasn't promoted all that well. "Also, it has been delayed 2-3 times, so the audience tends to lose interest.”
Rathi also blamed the poor show on poor marketing. “I don’t think the film managed to create enough of a buzz," he said.
All in all, Kapoor has had a rough start to his career, and it is to be seen how he bounces back, if at all. The actor was signed on for the male lead in a biopic on Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, but it is moot whether the producers will continue with him now.