Box office: Vivek Agnihotri's 'The Vaccine War' crosses Rs. 3cr
What's the story
Vivek Agnihotri's latest medical drama, The Vaccine War, has been having a rather tough time at the box office.
It clashed with Fukrey 3 and Chandramukhi 2 on Thursday (September 28), and while both films have found their audience, the same cannot be said for The Vaccine War.
However, it finally showed some growth on Saturday and has earned over Rs. 3cr so far.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Vaccine War is naturally being compared to Agnihotri's previous directorial, The Kashmir Files, a surprise box office hit that helped him build an on-ground fanbase.
However, TVW is somewhat of a niche film and is riddled with medical/scientific jargon, which might make it tough for most audiences to comprehend it completely.
It has also been accused of acting as the "government's mouthpiece."
Box office
'The Vaccine War' numbers: Showed growth, but still struggling
Per trade tracker Sacnilk, TVW minted Rs. 1.5cr (estimates) on its third day (Saturday) and its total collections now stand at Rs. 3.25cr.
The maximum occupancy was witnessed during night shows (20.31%), followed by the evening shows (18.79%).
While this is the film's highest collection in three days, it is concerning for the makers that it has not even touched Rs. 4cr so far.
Plot, cast
What is 'The Vaccine War' based on?
The Vaccine War was earlier slated for an Independence Day release but was later pushed to the September 28 slot.
It stars an ensemble cast comprising actors such as Pallavi Joshi, Nana Patekar, Raima Sen, Nivedita Bhattacharya, and Anupam Kher in a special appearance.
The film traces the making of India's first indigenous vaccine, COVAXIN, during the harrowing COVID-19 outbreak.
Source material
Know more about source material and writer
TVW draws its story from Padma Shri awardee Dr. Balram Bhargava's book Going Viral—Making of COVAXIN: The Inside Story.
He is a former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and currently serves as the chief of the Cardiothoracic Centre at AIIMS, Delhi.
Interestingly, Joshi recently revealed that Dr. Bhargava only charged Re. 1 to sell the book's rights to Agnihotri.