Actor Ranveer Singh's latest movie 83, which hit the screens on December 24, has failed to live up to expectations at the box office despite receiving positive reviews. Many expected the sports drama to match the collection of Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi, which raked in nearly Rs 27 crore on day 1. The reality, however, proved to be different as it netted nearly Rs 15 crore on the first day and subsequently showed limited growth. So, what when wrong? Here is a look that the factors that prevented director Kabir Khan's magnum ops from reaching its potential.
Covid-19 restrictions
A night curfew was put in place in states such as Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the wake of an increase in Covid-19 cases in the country shortly after the film hit the screens. This affected its performance especially over the weekend as the biggie didn't show much growth on Christmas (December 25).
Not 'commercial' enough
Sooryavanshi clicked with the mass audience mainly because it had pretty much everything--right from action scenes to glamour-- that one expects from a commercial Bollywood movie. The same, however, cannot be said about 83 as its narrative catered to cinephiles and steered clear of these elements. While the decision made the film more realistic, it affected its viability in mass markets. The lack of a Chak De-like anthem prevented it from finding wide patronage.
Also read | Is Ranveer Singh's '83' worth the hype?
A different Ranveer film
Ranveer gave strong proof of his star power when Bajirao Mastani emerged as a blockbuster despite facing competition from Shah Rukh Khan's Dilwale. The film was an absolute treat for him as pretty much everything revolved around his character. The same can be said about Simmba as it was a showreel for him for the most part. 83 with its realistic nature was a departure from these commercial movies. Moreover, while this was hardly a showreel for him as each character-- right from Jiiva's Krish Srikanth to Pankaj Tripathi-- got equal importance in the narrative. While Ranveer delivered the performance of a lifetime and aced legendary cricketer Kapil Dev's mannerisms, his work in 83 didn't cater to those who like him larger-than-life/livewire characters.
Competition from Tollywood and Hollywood
Pushpa: The Rise and the Hollywood biggie Spider-Man: No Way Home, which hit the screens on December 16 and 17 respectively, did phenomenal business at the box office in week 1. They remained the top choice of their respective target audience in their second week. The Tom Holland-starrer proved to be an attraction for the younger generation. Allu Arjun's movie, on the other hand, consolidated its hold over mass centres, especially in the Hindi belt, in its second week. The positive response to these film's affected 83's prospects.