Akshay Kumar’s Prithviraj has failed to take off at the box office as the film’s collection on the first day was estimated to be just Rs. 10.70 crore. In comparison, two south Indian films namely Vikram and Major made significantly higher business than the film starring Akshay and former Miss World Manushi Chhillar.
Trade analyst Ramesh Bala tweeted, “Actor @akshaykumar starrer #SamratPrithviraj collects 10.70 crore on Day 1 – a non Holiday. The film should grow from here on as there is audience appreciation for the visual spectacle. All eyes on the weekend to see how the film collects!”
In contrast, Kamal Haasan’s Vikram collected a whopping Rs. 23 crore on the first day of its release. Bala tweeted, “#Vikram takes a flying start at the TN Box office..Day 1 Gross – ₹ 23.50 Crs..Career Best opening for #Ulaganayagan @ikamalhaasan in TN.. 🔥.”
Akshay’s Prithviraj was released in Hindu, Telugu and Tamil on 3 June. The controversial actor had faced flak for resorting to Islamophobia as he desperately pushed the narrative of hate Muslims by falsely quoting history. He visited temples around the country to fool India’s Hindu community. Several BJP governments gave his film a tax-free status.
One user wrote, “It seems Indians cutting across their religious boundaries showed impeccable maturity and did not fall prey to Akshay’s hate agenda.” Another commented, Another wrote, “Never Forgive, Never Forget. The name “Akshay Kumar” was written in Sushant’s Diary‼️ Let’s make Prithviraj a bigger FLOP than Laxmii, Kesari & Bachchhan Paandey. Are you up to the challenge?”
As for Major, Bala tweeted, “Content rich #Major starring @AdiviSesh has grossed ₹ 13.40 Crs at the WW Box office on Day 1..Career Best opening for #AdiviSesh.”
Many experts had said that for Akshay’s Prithviraj to achieve a box office success, the film had to start the first day with a collection of at least Rs. 25 crore. The film, which had a budget of Rs 270 crore, is bound to be another flop for Akshay after Bachchan Pandey, if it doesn’t gain momentum in the coming days.