Box office collection: 'Fighter' earns over Rs. 10cr on Saturday
What's the story
Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, and Anil Kapoor's Fighter landed in the theaters on January 25, cashing in on the Republic Day weekend.
After collecting well in its initial days, the film entered a freefall but picked up pace once again on Saturday (day 10).
It is director Siddharth Anand's second consecutive Republic Day release after Pathaan (2023), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Padukone.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Marketed as "India's first aerial actioner," Fighter had a lot riding on it due to Anand's previous success in the form of Pathaan.
Moreover, it is Roshan and Padukone's third project with Anand, the past ones being Bang Bang! and War and Bachna Ae Haseeno and Pathaan, respectively.
However, while Fighter's aerial shots have been celebrated, it has been alleged to be overly jingoistic.
Collection
Looking at 'Fighter' in numbers
Per Sacnilk, Fighter earned Rs. 10.5cr (early estimates) on Saturday, which has now taken its total collection to Rs. 162.75cr.
The film witnessed an overall 24.52% occupancy on Saturday, with the maximum audience turning out during the night shows (39.73%), followed by the evening shows (25.94%).
Fighter is Padukone's first film with Roshan, and a lot of the film's appeal comes from their pairing.
Story
This is what happens in movie
Fighter revolves around an Indian Air Force unit called Air Dragons, created against a terror threat to a Srinagar base camp.
Led by Rocky (Kapoor), it includes Patty (Roshan), Minni (Padukone), and Taj (Karan Singh Grover), among others.
Fighter also shows the 2019 Pulwama attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed, followed by India's Balakot airstrike.
What follows is another air battle between the neighboring countries.
Anand's perspective
Anand spoke about why film is not doing well
Anand recently told Galatta Plus, "Fighter is a huge leap. It's a space that is unexplored [and new]. It has no reference point for the audience."
He added, "There is a huge percentage of our country...I would say 90% who have not flown in planes...not been to an airport! So how do you expect them to know what's happening in the air?"