Box office collection: 'Merry Christmas' earns less than Rs. 3cr
What's the story
Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi's Merry Christmas was released in the theaters on Friday after several delays.
Directed by Sriram Raghavan, it marks his return to cinema after the sensational Andhadhun (2019), starring Tabu and Ayushmann Khurrana.
MC is Kaif and Sethupathi's first project together, as well as their first film with Raghavan.
Released in Tamil and Hindi, it found only a few takers.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Raghavan is considered an auteur in Bollywood, with his movies heavily focusing on lies, deceit, cold-blooded revenge, murder(s), and puzzling storylines.
While he is not known for box office acclaim, Raghavan is a critics' favorite, and Merry Christmas, too, has cradled positive reviews.
Based on French novelist Frédéric Dard's book Bird in a Cage, it stays true to the source material in its execution.
BO
Looking at 'Merry Christmas' in numbers
Per trade tracker Sacnilk, the film minted Rs. 2.55cr on Friday, along with an overall 11.56% Hindi occupancy and 18.02% Tamil occupancy.
The Hindi version received the maximum turnout during the night shows (18.31%), followed by the evening shows (12.14%).
The film is pitted against a multitude of films, especially in South India, including Guntur Kaaram, Captain Miller, HanuMan, and Saindhav (Saturday release).
Story
This is what happens in 'Merry Christmas'
The film—which runs for over two hours—is about Maria (Kaif) and Albert's (Sethupathi) escapades on Christmas Eve.
Two people brought together as much by destiny as by choice, they spark an immediate friendship—even hinting at a possible romance—until Maria's husband Jerome is found "murdered," and everything goes haywire.
Sanjay Kapoor runs into them later, while Vinay Pathak plays a police officer.
'Ikkis'
Raghavan's next directorial is war drama 'Ikkis'
Raghavan's next is Ikkis—starring Dharmendra and Agastya Nanda—a war drama on Param Vir Chakra Arun Khetarpal.
He recently said, "I needed to recharge a bit because I may start getting repetitive if I keep doing thrillers. Because I was doing a war film, I watched as many war films as I could. So you just soak yourself in that zone and stay in it."