Big-budget movies in 2022 that tanked at the box office
The film industry had pinned its hopes on 2022, thanks to the COVID-19 situation getting better, helping theaters return to their original glory. The year also facilitated several theatrical releases that were in the works for a while but kept getting pushed for numerous reasons. However, not things weren't hunky-dory for a few big-budget movies, that tanked miserably. We look at five.
'Shamshera'
There was a lot riding on Shamshera, considering it marked Ranbir Kapoor's return to celluloid after a four-year gap after Sanju. The Karan Malhotra-directorial had Kapoor play dual roles but even that wasn't enough to salvage a film that lost to its formulaic, dated, and cookie-cutter storyline. Executed on a budget of a whopping Rs. 150cr, it hasn't yet breached the Rs. 50cr mark.
'Samrat Prithviraj'
Produced by Yash Raj Films, Samrat Prithviraj was an ambitious project, particularly for director Chandraprakash Dwivedi, who reportedly worked on the plot and the research for 18 years. Made on an approximate budget of over Rs. 200cr, the film flunked at the box office and sunk at a mere Rs. 65cr. Subsequently, lead actor Akshay Kumar was heavily bashed for his "lack of commitment."
'Dhaakad'
With Dhaakad, Kangana Ranaut set out to establish herself as an action-oriented actor. However, that wasn't meant to be. The film, reportedly mounted on an Rs. 85cr budget, turned out to be a complete washout at the box office and there were reports of numerous shows being canceled in different cities due to lack of audience. The action bonanza only minted about Rs. 3.7cr.
'Radhe Shyam'
Prabhas's Radhe Shyam has a record that he would like viewers to forget soon—it's reportedly the biggest disaster in Tollywood. Its budget is estimated at a mind-boggling Rs. 200cr; considering the film shrunk with an income of only about Rs. 86cr, the producers had to bear a loss of over a hundred crores. Now, Prabhas is looking to revive himself with Adipurush and Salaar.
'Acharya'
Cinephiles had high hopes for Acharya, considering it starred the father-son jodi of Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan. It's said to be backed by a budget of Rs. 140cr and was one of the most expensive Tollywood movies ever. However, it only raked in about Rs. 40cr, per Tollywood Net. It drowned at the box office primarily due to a weak script and poor direction.
