Farhan Akhtar’s ‘120 Bahadur’ released in theatres on November 21 and it clashed with ‘Masti 4’. Both films as different as chalk and cheese and opened up in the same range. Though one did expect ‘Masti 4’ to have a better opening because it’s a franchise film and targetting towards the single screen mass audiences. ‘120 Bahadur’ made headlines earlier this week for becoming the first film to premiere in defence theatres nationwide as a tribute to the armed forces. However, despite its strong trailer, the movie failed to take off at the domestic box office. Its all-India occupancy on day one was around 5 percent, a worrying start for the film.The military drama, which tells the story of the Battle of Rezang La, was expected to open stronger than its competitor ‘Mastiii 4’. But it ended up trailing slightly, likely because ‘Mastiii 4’ benefits from being part of a known franchise, even if that advantage is limited.
Adding to the film’s troubles, many shows across the country were cancelled due to low turnout as per trade reports and this is disappointing. ‘120 Bahadur’ has made Rs 2.35 crore on day 1 according to Sacnilk. Meanwhile, ‘Masti 4’ made Rs 2.50 crore. While both these films made this number on day 1, ‘De De Pyaar De’ has made Rs 2.25 crore on its 8th day. If both ‘120 Bahadur’ and ‘Masti 4’ continue to see dull trends over the weekend, it is likely that their shows will reduce and there will be more shows of ‘De De Pyaar De 2’ again. So far, the word-of-mouth around 120 Bahadur is mixed, which means there are chances that the movie can grow over the weekend and put up a healthy cumulative box office by the end of its theatrical run. The movie should now aim for a good jump on Saturday and Sunday and will target at least making Rs. 8 crore to 10 crore in the first weekend. Though it’s quite unlikely, there’s still some hope around the film’s subject.
