Vivek Agnihotri’s latest offering, The Bengal Files, has witnessed a noticeable drop in box office collections on its first Monday. After a modest but promising opening weekend, the film’s earnings fell by nearly 60% at the start of the workweek, raising questions about its long-term theatrical run.
Box Office So Far
It opened on Friday, The Bengal Files started with ₹1.75 crore on Day 1. It followed a good trend over the weekend, earning ₹2.25 crore on Saturday and ₹2.75 crore on Sunday. This took its three-day collection to ₹6.75 crore. Monday’s collection fell to ₹1.10 crore, making its four-day domestic collection ₹7.85 crore.
The drop is in accordance with general trends for mid-range, subject-oriented movies, that tend to count on weekend traffic and word-of-mouth to keep themselves afloat. As per Sacnilk, the sharp drop on Monday indicates the movie needs to sustain steady weekday figures in order not to disappear from cinemas quickly.
Baaghi 4 Stiff Competition
The Bengal Files is facing tough competition from Tiger Shroff and Harnaaz Sandhu’s action-packed Baaghi 4, which released on the same day. While Agnihotri’s film has taken a more niche and politically charged route, Baaghi 4 is dominating with mass appeal. The latter earned ₹4.25 crore on Monday alone, pushing its four-day total to ₹35.50 crore—more than four times that of The Bengal Files.
This box office clash has undoubtedly affected the footfall for Agnihotri’s film, especially in metro cities and single screens, where audience preferences lean towards big-budget entertainers.
About the Film: Revisiting a Dark Chapter in History
The Bengal Files portrays one of India’s most violent times, with a laser-like focus on the Direct Action Day and Noakhali riots. Directed and written by Vivek Agnihotri, it is a film that digs out untold tales of communal violence and political upheaval. The veteran actors Mithun Chakraborty and Anupam Kher lead the cast, which also features Darshan Kumaar, Simrat Kaur, Saswata Chatterjee, and Pallavi Joshi, who is also the producer.
Conclusion
Though The Bengal Files has found its niche audience who are drawn towards historically grounded storytelling, it now needs to test its staying power during weekdays. With tough competition and a sharp fall on Monday, the next few days will be instrumental in deciding if Agnihotri’s film can remain current at the box office.
