Trade pundits are praising the box office performance of Aamir Khan-starrer Zameen Par, which has breached the Rs 100-crore mark in four days.
Trade calls Sitaare Zameen Par success a huge victory for Aamir Khan
Sitare Zameen Par is doing just like most Aamir Khan films at the box office - slow start and huge success. The film earned a disappointing ₹10.70 crore on its first day. By the third day, the film had crossed the ₹60 crore mark. Despite the drop on Monday, Sitare Zameen Par has gained enough momentum and popularity to make a healthy lifetime collection. And trade pundits call it the revival of 'urban multiplex films' as well as a 'big win' for its star and producer Aamir Khan.
Sitare Zameen Par has earned ₹66.50 crore domestically in its first four days at the box office. It had a strong opening weekend with a worldwide collection of ₹96 crore. All signs suggest that Aamir Khan has ended his box office drought. His last hit came almost a decade ago in 2016. Since then, Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) have failed to bring audiences to theatres.
Trade experts are viewing the film's success as a comeback for the superstar. 'It's a big win for Aamir Khan. He took a bold decision and the audience has respected his honesty. It's a little gem, the film is amazing, it has fun and entertainment but it also gives a strong social message. This film will be in cinemas for a long time,' Kamal Gianchandani, Head of Business Planning & Strategy at PVR INOX Ltd and CEO of PVR INOX Pictures Ltd, told PTI. PVR INOX Pictures is the official distributor of Sitare Zameen Par, adapted from the acclaimed Spanish film Campeones.
Trade insiders said the positive publicity means that footfalls for Sitaray in theatres on Monday could surpass Friday's figures, an unusual occurrence. 'Even more impressive is that weekday box-office numbers lag behind weekends by only a small margin, and we expect Monday footfalls to outpace Friday footfalls. This rare trajectory in the film industry doesn't just point to commercial success - it reveals a deep, sustained emotional resonance with audiences, taking the film into truly uncharted territory,' Cinepolis CEO Devang Sampat said in a statement.
'Everyone has rejected urban multiplex films'
Distributor-exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said the film's performance at the box office marks the return of urban multiplex films. 'The film has emerged like a phoenix from day one to day three. After the pandemic, big films like Pathan, Jawaan, Animal and Gadar 2 worked and all rejected urban multiplex films, but Sitare Zameen Par marks the return of urban multiplex hits. The film's core business is from urban and multiplex audiences. The film is going to run for a long time and its lifetime business should be ₹200 crore,' he told PTI.
Many in the industry have expressed confidence in the film's longevity, as it has grown in popularity through word of mouth, overcoming its initial low buzz.
Directed by RS Prasanna, Zameen Par stars Aamir as an angry basketball coach who is ordered by the court to coach intellectually disabled players after a drunk driving incident. The heartwarming sports drama also stars Genelia Deshmukh and ten newcomers including Arush Dutta, Gopi Krishna Verma, Sanvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Aayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra and Simran Mangeshkar, all of whom are differently abled. The film is produced by Aamir's banner Aamir Khan Productions.
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