Sunny Deol’s latest film Batwara 1947 has arrived in theatres, but the film has started its box office journey on a disappointing note. According to early estimates, the movie could collect around Rs. 4.50 to 5 crore on its opening day at the Indian box office. This marks the lowest opening for Sunny Deol in his 2.0 era, which began with his successful theatrical comeback in Gadar 2.
Batwara 1947 has also opened lower than Jaat, another recent Sunny Deol film. The slow start suggests that the movie did not receive the kind of audience response expected from a major release featuring the actor.
One possible reason for the low opening is the limited excitement around the film before its release. The promotional material and pre release content did not create the same level of interest that some of Sunny Deol’s earlier films managed to generate. Another factor could be the subject of the movie, as Batwara 1947 is a period drama rather than the action driven films that Sunny Deol is widely known for.
The film is backed by Aamir Khan Productions and released alongside Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2. So far, the box office competition appears to be strongly in favour of Awarapan 2. However, Batwara 1947 has reportedly received relatively better word of mouth, which could help the film in the coming days if more audiences respond positively.
The Independence Day holiday could be important for Batwara 1947. The film needs a strong jump in collections on the holiday and then needs to maintain steady numbers through the rest of the weekend. A good hold after the opening weekend will be necessary if the film is to recover from its weak start.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Batwara 1947 stars Sunny Deol alongside Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Abhimanyu Singh and others. The film marks the fourth collaboration between Sunny Deol and Santoshi. The two previously worked together on three well known films, Damini, Ghayal and Ghatak.
For now, Batwara 1947 is facing a difficult beginning at the box office. Its performance over the Independence Day holiday and the days that follow will determine whether it can improve its overall theatrical run.