'Bad Newz' becomes Vicky's highest opener: Revisiting his top five
Vicky Kaushal's latest comedy film, Bad Newz, has set a new record for the actor with the highest opening day collection. The film, directed by Anand Tiwari and co-starring Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk, raked in ₹8.50 crore on its first day in India. This surpasses the opening day earnings of Kaushal's 2019 blockbuster Uri: The Surgical Strike, which debuted at ₹8.20 crore at the domestic box office.
'Raazi' remains at the third place
Meanwhile, Kaushal's third-biggest opener was Meghna Gulzar's 2018 period espionage drama Raazi, which made ₹7.53 crore on its opening day domestically. This film, although led by Alia Bhatt, remains important for Kaushal since it marked his first hit as a leading man and also featured him as a soldier. Based on the book Calling Sehmat, it also starred Jaideep Ahlawat and Rajit Kapur.
Kaushal's other noteworthy openers and upcoming projects
In December 2023, Kaushal starred in another Gulzar film, Sam Bahadur, a biopic of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw. The film, which also starred Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh, opened at ₹6.25 crore in India, ranking at the fourth place in this list. His fifth biggest opener is Laxman Utekar's small-town romantic comedy Zara Hatke Zara Bachke, co-starring Sara Ali Khan, which debuted at ₹5.49 crore domestically. Kaushal is set to appear next in the film Chhaava.
'Bad Newz's USP: Why it worked so well
Bad Newz's success on the first day is unsurprising, considering the immense hype it generated in the days leading up to the release. Kaushal's dance moves in the song Tauba Tauba, coupled with his chemistry with Dimri in Jaanam ensured that the target audience, youngsters, booked the tickets in heavy numbers for July 19. The film is also another notable attempt by Kaushal to break free of his "serious actor" image.
How box office dynamics helped the film
The Dharma Productions film has also benefitted from the dismal performance of Sarfira and Indian 2, which were released on July 12. While Kalki 2898 AD remains a fierce competitor, it was released almost a month ago, and up next, only Deadpool & Wolverine will be a thorn in Bad Newz's path. Thus, despite mixed reviews, the film is expected to keep minting money, following suit after its spiritual predecessor Good Newwz.
