Box office: 'Maidaan' gains momentum but collections remain low
Ajay Devgn's latest biographical sports drama, Maidaan, has successfully crossed the ₹15cr milestone on its third day in theaters. Directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, the movie initially faced a lukewarm response on its opening day, when it earned ₹7.1cr (including paid previews). Despite stiff competition from Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Maidaan saw a turn of tide on Saturday as it witnessed a surge in collections.
Why does this story matter?
Maidaan, a biographical drama inspired by the life of iconic Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, also features Priya Mani and Gajraj Rao in pivotal roles. The film's box office collection saw an uptick on day 3, largely due to positive word-of-mouth reviews. In contrast, the film starring Kumar and Shroff has been widely criticized by both critics and audiences alike. Despite that, BMCM has earned ₹31.75cr so far in India.
'Maidaan' overcomes initial hurdles to achieve momentary success
Maidaan had a slow start since Wednesday evening when the film's paid previews began, managing to collect ₹4.5cr in India. Official figures reveal that the film garnered ₹10.70cr worldwide on Thursday. The second day (Friday) saw a dip with ₹3cr collected in India, but Saturday marked a significant surge as footfalls increased by 83.33%, leading to earnings of over ₹5.5cr, per Sacnilk. Now, its total domestic collection stands at ₹15.6cr.
'Maidaan' witnessed increased occupancy rates on Saturday
Compared to Friday, Maidaan witnessed a significant increase in occupancy rates on Saturday, jumping from 8.81% to an overall 19.65% Hindi occupancy. This uptick is a positive sign, indicating that positive word of mouth is influencing audience turnout. Particularly noteworthy is Mumbai, where the occupancy rate reached 25.50% across 611 shows. In contrast, Delhi and NCR recorded a 19.50% occupancy rate across 759 shows. The film is produced by ZEE Studios and Boney Kapoor.
Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly called 'Maidaan' a 'must-watch'
On Saturday, cricket legend Sourav Ganguly shared his thoughts on Maidaan, describing it as a cinematic marvel and urging audiences not to miss out on the experience. He said on X/Twitter, "Witness the iconic Indian football stars brought back to life on the big screen in this must-watch Indian sports film (sic)." Director-producer Karan Johar also joined the chorus of praise, expressing his eagerness to watch the film on Instagram.
