The highly anticipated and promoted Hrithik Roshan – Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter hit screens last week. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film that is high on patriotic drama and promises some high-octane stunts and visuals with aerial action sequences, was one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of 2024. Given the crescendo surrounding the film, the business of Fighter was expected to take a flying start. However, with lacklustre advance bookings the first day business of the film remained low flying with just Rs. 24.60 cr. coming in. But, on its second day, the business of the film witnessed a massive jump of 67.48% from its Day 1 collections with Rs. 41.20 cr. coming in. Sadly, following this massive jump in collections, Fighter has failed to awe at the box office. In fact, the aerial actioner saw a tumultuous drop of 33.01% on its third day running, with its first Sunday business seeing a marginal increase.
Now on its fifth day running, Fighter has crashed big time. Collecting a meagre Rs. 7 cr, Fighter seems to have run out of fuel mid-flight, dropping below the average expectation mark by a wide margin. If that was now enough, compounding matters further, the Hrithik Roshan – Deepika Padukone starrer has managed to record lower collections than the Om Raut directorial Adipurush starring Prabhas that hit screens last year. In terms of numbers, while Adipurush opened to Rs. 36 cr, the film saw a drop of 76.67% on its first Monday with Rs. 7.70 cr. coming in, on the other hand, Fighter that started off with Rs. 24.60 cr. on day 1 has seen a 76.82% drop with Rs. 7 cr. coming in on its first Monday.
This crash landing at the box office seems to have spilt blood in the water with trade now predicting that the overall business of Fighter is unlikely to cross the Rs. 200 cr. mark. In fact, the few naysayers that held the belief of Fighter being a Rs. 200 cr+ grosser are finding themselves facing a mammoth wreckage that is unsalvageable. Overall, as things stand Fighter is likely to end its theatrical run around the Rs. 160 - Rs. 170 cr. mark.
