Emraan Hashmi's 'Ground Zero' likely to underperform at box office
What's the story
Emraan Hashmi's latest action thriller, Ground Zero, was released in theaters on Friday.
The movie marks his silver screen return after a year and a half, after his performance in Tiger 3 with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif.
Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar, Ground Zero is inspired by real-life incidents and also stars Sai Tamhankar and Zoya Hussain in pivotal roles.
Will it be able to do well?
Film synopsis
'Ground Zero' plot centers on BSF officer's real-life heroism
Ground Zero narrates the story of BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, played by Hashmi, who led the operation that eliminated terrorist Rana Tahir Nadeem, aka Ghazi Baba, in 2003.
Dubey was awarded the Kirti Chakra for his bravery.
Despite the gripping plot, the film has failed to create much pre-release frenzy, with lackluster advance booking spelling a rough start at the box office.
Box office forecast
Box office expert predicts slow start for 'Ground Zero'
Film business expert Rohit Jaiswal told Filmibeat that Ground Zero is likely to start slow at the box office, predicting ₹70-90 lakh opening day collection.
The film faces stiff competition from Akshay Kumar's Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story Of Jallianwala Bagh and Sunny Deol's Jaat.
If these predictions hold true, Ground Zero could go on to become Hashmi's second-lowest opener post-COVID-19, after Chehre.
At the time of writing, it has collected ₹0.03 crore, per Sacnilk data.