After opening poorly, Why Cheat India slid further down at the box office, collecting less than a crore (Rs80 lakh) on its first Monday, reported Boxofficeindia.com. It had managed to collect Rs5.75 crore nett in its opening weekend.
Starring Emraan Hashmi, the film is also produced by him alongwith Ellipsis Entertainment and T-Series. Based on true events, Why Cheat India tells the story of Rakesh Singh (Hashmi) who runs a nationwide education scam.
Why Cheat India review: Emraan Hashmi's immoral character points out rot in Indian education system
Made at an estimated budget of Rs27 crore, Why Cheat India was released across 1,200 screens in India. The film is directed by Soumik Sen.
None of the other new releases — Fraud Saiyaan, Bombairiya and Rangeela Raja — made any impact.
That meant holdover release Uri: The Surgical Strike was the preferred choice for the cinephiles. The Vicky Kaushal-starrer action film made an impressive Rs6.75 crore nett on its second Monday, to take its India total so far to Rs115.74 crore nett.
Produced by RSVP, Uri is made at an estimafed budget of Rs28 crore. The film has already pocketed Rs14 crore through combined satellite and digital rights, and Rs2 crore for music [all sold to Zee]. Uri was released in 2,200 screens in India.
Anupam Kher-starrer The Accidental Prime Minister, that was released alongside Uri, struggled at the box office. The film could only make Rs40 lakh nett on its second Monday. Director Vijay Ratnakar Gutte’s film has so far made Rs21.76 crore nett in domestic business. The Accidental Prime Minister was made at an estimated budget of Rs30 crore and released in 1,200 screens.
Last week’s releases are likely to struggle to make much of an impact in the second weekend as there are two important films releasing on 25 Janaury — Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Thackeray, a biopic on the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, and Kangana Ranaut-starrer Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. It would be interesting to see how Uri fares in its third weekend.