Box office: Ranveer Singh-starrer 83 fares below expectation

Kabir Khan’s cricket drama 83 registered average earnings at the box office on its first weekend.

After making an underwhelming Rs11.96 crore nett on its opening day, the Ranveer Singh-starrer saw a jump in numbers on Saturday and Sunday, when it made Rs16 crore and Rs17 crore, respectively, according to trade website BoxOfficeIndia.com.

The film’s first weekend total thus stands at Rs44.91 crore nett, much lower than what might have been expected of a project that cost, according to trade sources, Rs200 crore to produce. As things stand, the film is likely to struggle to recover its cost of production.

Despite the positive word-of-mouth publicity and glowing reviews, 83 has done well only in the metros and has been struggling in the smaller centres. In the latter areas, last week’s releases, Pushpa: The Rise and Spider-Man: No Way Home, are still doing well.

The Hindi version of the Allu Arjun-starrer has so far collected Rs36.80 crore at the box office while the overall tally of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe offering, which earned a mammoth Rs147.75 crore in its extended first week, is Rs174.50 crore.