Shehzada box office trends: Trade experts predict weak ₹6 crore opening for Kartik Aaryan film

The expectations were high for Kartik Aaryan-starrer Shehzada which opens on Friday. The actor’s last theatrical release, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, had earned ₹14.11 crore on day one and eventually became a hit. The sequel, directed by Anees Bazmee, went on to make over ₹260 crore at the worldwide box office. However, with his latest, the opening is not as high as the film traders might have hoped. The current estimates show that the Hindi film is on track to earn around ₹6-7 crore on its first day. (Also read: Shehzada movie review: Logic takes a back seat in this loud Kartik Aaryan-starrer)

Trade analyst Komal Nahta feels the Hindi remake has had a bad opening day. He told Hindustan Times, “Terrible opening. First day will be 6 or 7 crore only. It’s a flop right from the word ‘go’.” Meanwhile, film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi is more hopeful about the film’s fate. He shared, “The opening figures of Shehzada are fairly encouraging and it’s a movie I truly hope to see growing with a word of mouth, because it’s a family film. It’s a great commercial entertainer that you want to watch with your friends, family, go in a group and do it.”

He added, “Since it’s a working weekday, it will build a word of mouth. I think going by the traction so far, it should hit something like a 6 on day one and hopefully consolidate and grow on Saturday and Sunday, and sustain well from Monday.”

Shehzada, directed by Rohit Dhawan, is a remake of the Telugu film Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020) starring Allu Arjun, Pooja Hegde and Tabu. It has been based on director Trivikram Srinivas’s story and screenplay. The Hindi film also stars Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Ronit Bose Roy, Ankur Rathee, Sachin Khedekar, with Rajpal Yadav in a special appearance.

The Hindustan Times review of Shehzada stated, “The Hindi film doesn’t stray far from the source material. Certain things have been updated for a Hindi audience, but this too remains a hero-driven feature. Shehzada, with its over-the-top production design, and catchy musical numbers by Pritam, is far too loud to leave an impact. At 145 minutes, it isn’t exactly boring, but it does lag as it drags out the parentage issue.”