Box office: Bachchhan Paandey makes average collection, The Kashmir Files continues to dominate

The Akshay Kumar-starrer Bachchhan Paandey (2022) managed just average numbers at the box office on its first weekend.

After opening with a decent Rs12.25 crore nett, the film did not see any rise in collections on the next two days. In fact, the numbers went down slightly as the film collected Rs11 crore and Rs11.50 crore, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday, according to trade website BoxOfficeIndia.com.

Bachchhan Paandey's total collection thus stands at Rs34.75 crore nett so far. According to trade sources, the film has been made on a budget of about Rs150 crore. Given its performance on the opening weekend, the film has a mountain to climb now. And the release of SS Rajamouli's multi-lingual magnum opus RRR (2022) on Friday will not make things any easier for Bachchhan Paandey.

One reason for Bachchhan Paandey's average showing is the continued run of The Kashmir Files. The Vivek Agnihotri film earned a mammoth Rs96.14 crore in its first week while its numbers on the second weekend were Rs19.75 crore, Rs25 crore and Rs26.50 crore, respectively, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This means the film made a total collection of Rs71.25 crore nett in just the first three days of the second week.

Made on a low budget of Rs14 crore, the film has so far collected Rs167.39 crore nett at the domestic box office. Of course, the film has had more than just a helping hand from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians who have been booking shows in bulk across India and distributing tickets free. The irony is that the campaign is hurting the project of Akshay Kumar, who also happens to be a favourite of the BJP leadership.