Tiger Shroff’s highly anticipated action movie Baaghi 4 opened to a lukewarm response at the box office, concluding its opening weekend with disappointing numbers as compared to the earlier installments. A Harsha is helming the movie, which was produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film raked in approximately Rs 31 crore nett in three days, which is the lowest opening weekend for the Baaghi franchise to date.
Slower Start Than Expected
The film opened to Rs 12 crore locally on Friday a good number on paper but disappointing by way of comparison with expectations and past franchise form. Saturday witnessed a decline, and Sunday collections did not pick up considerably, coming in at around Rs 10 crore. This meant the opening weekend haul was an estimated Rs 31 crore.
For comparison, even the original Baaghi movie (2016) opened bigger with Rs 38.5 crore, including a Rs 15.45 crore Sunday. Baaghi 2 (2018) made Rs 71.1 crore in its opening weekend, while Baaghi 3 (2020) pulled in about Rs 53 crore having suffered from initial pandemic scares.
Mixed Reviews and Franchise Fatigue
One of the reasons why Baaghi 4 has performed poorly is the inconsistent reception it has garnered from critics and audiences alike. Although Tiger Shroff’s action scenes remain a point of applause, the storyline as a whole and emotional center seem to have fallen short. Critics pointed out that the film was not fresh, with some criticizing it as a rehash of previous Baaghi conventions.
The franchise fan base turned up in the first place, but word-of-mouth hasn’t been robust enough to build traction. This might indicate franchise fatigue, since the Baaghi franchise may be finding it difficult to refresh itself or bring something new to viewers.
Star Power and Supporting Cast
Joining Tiger Shroff, Baaghi 4 has a strong supporting cast comprising Sanjay Dutt, Shreyas Talpade, Harnaaz Sandhu (Miss Universe 2021), and Sonam Bajwa. Although there are experienced actors and newcomers, their performances couldn’t improve the box office chances of the film to any great extent.
Can It Recover?
With upcoming competition from both Bollywood and Hollywood titles, Baaghi 4 will need a strong weekday performance and a second-weekend boost to have any chance at reaching respectable lifetime earnings. As of now, the numbers suggest the franchise may need to reconsider its formula moving forward.
