Box office: The Kashmir Files reaches Rs200 crore, Bachchhan Paandey crashes out

Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files (2022) reached the Rs200 crore mark at the end of its second week in theatres yesterday. Going by how well the film was doing just a few days ago, it reached the milestone a little later than was expected.

Nevertheless, The Kashmir Files remains a rare movie in the present era to earn more in its second week than in the first. The film made Rs96.14 crore nett in its first week in theatres and Rs109.50 crore in the second, according to trade website BoxOfficeIndia.com.

The Kashmir Files earned a mammoth Rs26.50 crore nett on its second Sunday, but the film slowed down in the weekdays that followed. It made Rs7.25 crore nett yesterday.

The film, produced on a limited budget of Rs14 crore, has so far collected Rs205.64 crore nett at the domestic box office, with huge support from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party whose politicians have been booking entire shows and distributing the tickets free to party workers, supporters and the public at large.

While ruling-party politicians were boosting The Kashmir Files, Bachchhan Paandey (2022), a film starring Akshay Kumar, a favourite of the establishment, crashed at the box office. Reportedly made on a budget of Rs150 crore, Bachchhan Paandey ended its first week with just Rs46.75 crore nett in box-office collection.

With SS Rajamouli’s keenly awaited RRR (2022) being released today and generating good numbers, it's as good as game over for Bachchhan Paandey which may end up with a collection of under Rs65 crore, a big blow to the producers.

Whether RRR will also halt The Kashmir Files juggernaut remains to be seen. But even if it does, the latter film has already become a blockbuster hit in just two weeks.