Box office collection: 'Merry Christmas' collects just Rs. 15cr
Sriram Raghavan's latest thriller, Merry Christmas, was released theatrically on January 12, clashing with films like Captain Miller, HanuMan, and Guntur Kaaram. Headlined by Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif alongside supporting performances by Radhika Apte, Vinay Pathak, and Sanjay Kapoor (Hindi version), the film released in Hindi and Tamil has underperformed at the box office. It has collected a little over Rs. 15 crore.
Why does this story matter?
Merry Christmas made headlines because Raghavan decided to shoot it in both Tamil and Hindi and cast two actors considered the antithesis of each other: Sethupathi and Kaif. Not just that, the Tamil version boasts different supporting actors, like Shanmugarajan and Radhika Sarathkumar, so MC already made news because of its experimental approach. It is based on Frédéric Dard's novel Bird in a Cage.
Looking at 'Merry Christmas' in numbers
Per trade tracker Sacnilk, MC minted Rs. 49 lakh on Friday, with an overall 14.95% Hindi occupancy and 20.61% Tamil occupancy. The Hindi version received the maximum turnout during the night shows (25.89%), followed by the evening shows (12.72%). Its total collection is Rs. 15.24cr. This week, it will fight it out with Main Atal Hoon and lock horns with Fighter next week.
This is what happens in 'Merry Christmas'
The film—which runs for over two hours—is about Maria (Kaif) and Albert's (Sethupathi) escapades on Christmas Eve. Two people brought together as much by destiny as by choice, they spark an immediate friendship—even hinting at a possible romance—until Maria's husband Jerome is found "murdered," and everything goes haywire. Kapoor runs into them later, while Pathak plays a police officer.
Raghavan's next film is 'Ikkis'
Meanwhile, Raghavan's next film is the war drama Ikkis, starring Dharmendra, Agastya Nanda (in his theatrical debut), and Jaideep Ahlawat. It is based on Param Vir Chakra awardee Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, who was martyred during the Battle of Basantar at Shakargarh during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War. It will mark Raghavan's deviation from his usual neo-noir thrillers and be his seventh feature directorial.
