Rajkummar Rao’s latest action film, Maalik, saw a small bump in its box office collection on Tuesday, but continues to trail significantly behind other major releases, including his own past blockbusters.
Maalik’s Modest Box Office Performance
After a challenging opening, Maalik collected Rs 2 crore on its fifth day, Tuesday. This slight increase follows a notable drop on Monday, when earnings fell to Rs 1.75 crore from Rs 5.25 crore on both Sunday and Saturday.
The film initially opened on Friday, July 11, with Rs 3.75 crore. So far, Maalik has accumulated a total of Rs 18 crore at the domestic box office.
Facing Stiff Competition
Maalik is currently navigating a competitive cinematic landscape. It’s now close to surpassing the lifetime earnings of Sonu Sood’s action film, Fateh, which secured Rs 18.87 crore earlier this year.
The film might also soon cross Kangana Ranaut’s political drama, Emergency, which finished its run with Rs 20 crore. Locally, Maalik has outperformed the romantic comedy Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, starring Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor, which only managed Rs 1.56 crore in its first five days.
However, Maalik faces a much tougher challenge from Hollywood’s latest, James Gunn’s Superman reboot. The superhero film has already amassed Rs 31.6 crore in India within five days, with a significant Rs 6.85 crore coming from its Hindi dubbed version.
Comparing to Rajkummar Rao’s Previous Hits
The current box office numbers for Maalik fall short when compared to Rajkummar Rao’s earlier successful ventures. His horror-comedy, Stree 2, which became the first Hindi film to cross Rs 600 crore domestically last year, had earned over Rs 175 crore in its first five days.
Even Rao’s more recent romantic comedy, Bhool Chuk Maaf, performed significantly better, bringing in Rs 38.25 crore within its initial five days. This highlights the uphill battle Maalik is currently facing at the box office.
About the Film
Maalik sees Rajkummar Rao in a new, fierce avatar as a ruthless gangster driven by political ambition. The film is directed by Pulkit, known for his work on the Netflix India film Bhakshak and the period mystery series Bose: Dead/Alive, which also starred Rao.
Produced by Kumar Taurani under Tips Films and Jay Shewakramani’s Northern Lights Films, Maalik also features Manushi Chhillar. Despite the star power, early reviews have described the film as “predictable to a fault,” which might be impacting its theatrical run.
- Maalik collected Rs 2 crore on Day 5, reaching a total of Rs 18 crore domestically.
- The film trails behind Hollywood’s Superman and Rajkummar Rao’s past successes like Stree 2 and Bhool Chuk Maaf.
- It has, however, managed to outperform other recent Bollywood releases like Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan.
The coming days will be crucial for Maalik to see if it can pick up pace and secure a stronger box office standing amidst the ongoing competition.