Kartik Aaryan’s debut production film, Shehzada which is a remake of the superhit Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, didn't live upto the auduence expectation at the box office. The film released when Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan is already in the theaters for over three weeks and Marvel’s latest release, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has also released.
As per the industry audiencetracker Sacnilk, Shehzada’s first-day collection is recorded at Rs 7 crore (early estimates). The number is half of what Kartik’s last release, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 did on its first day. It made a double-digit opening with Rs 14 crore in its kitty. The film witnessed only 14.05% occupancy
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As per Box Office India, the film has managed to reach this number because of the incentive of the buy-one-get-one-free ticket. Its competitors at the ticket counters, Pathaan and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania earned Rs 2.50 crore and Rs 9 crore respectively.
The film trade experts were apprehensive about Shehzada’s box office success even before its release as they thought that the makers “made a mistake” by shifting the film’s release by a week to avoid the havoc that Pathaan was creating at the ticket counters. Taran Adarsh argued that the film would have enjoyed a solo release had it been released on February 10, avoiding a clash with the MCU movie.
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Film producer and trade expert Girish Johar had told indianexpress.com, “As a producer or as anyone connected with the film, you do seek solo window. Ant-Man (and The Wasp: Quantumania) has a huge buzz globally. It’s a Marvel film, and they are opening their fifth phase with this film. Marvel fans in India are excited about it and I was taken aback when the film was shifted.”
