Shahid Kapoor’s latest film, Kabir Singh, has braved savage critical reviews to deliver the biggest box office opening of the actor’s career. The romantic drama made Rs 70 crore in its first weekend.
Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted the new figures on Monday morning. “#KabirSingh is firing on all cylinders at the BO... Metros, mass belt, Tier-2, Tier-3 cities - #KabirSingh wave grips the nation... Emerges Shahid Kapoor’s highest grosser in 3 days [after #Padmaavat]... Fri 20.21 cr, Sat 22.71 cr, Sun 27.91 cr. Total: Rs 70.83 cr. India biz,” he wrote.
Taran also mentioned the various factors which should have worked against the film but didn’t. “Non-holiday release, A certification [#CBFC], Normal ticket pricing [not enhanced rates], Released during cricket matches [#CWC19], Scathing reviews/criticism #KabirSingh braves it all... All biz calculations and estimations proven wrong by a wide margin... BO WINNER,” he wrote.
“#KabirSingh surpasses *opening weekend* biz of #TotalDhamaal [₹ 62.40 cr / 3700 screens], thus emerging the biggest *non-holiday* opener of 2019... A remarkable feat, since #KabirSingh was released on 3123 screens. India biz,” Taran added.
Also read: Kabir Singh glorifies toxic behaviour: More flaws in Shahid Kapoor film beyond misogyny
Kabir Singh also beat the Rs 27 crore haul of Salman Khan’s recent blockbuster, Bharat.
Despite harsh reviews, which criticised Kabir Singh’s celebration of toxic masculinity and its poor treatment of women, the film has been a box office success, just like Arjun Reddy (the Telugu film on which Kabir Singh is based) was back in 2017. Both films are directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, and much criticism has been directed at the remake’s lack of originality and blatant similarity.
The Hindustan Times review, awarding the film one-and-a-half stars out of five, noted that “Kabir Singh applauds its pathetic protagonist, and ends up an obnoxious celebration of toxic masculinity.”
A Rs 70 crore opening weekend would put Kabir Singh behind Ranveer Singh’s Gully Boy (Rs 72 crore) and Akshay Kumar’s Kesari (Rs 78 crore) and ahead of the Rs 62 crore three-day total of Kalank in the 2019 rankings.
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First Published: Jun 24, 2019 08:43 IST
