Laal Singh Chaddha has taken a slow start at the box office on Thursday (1st day) as early samples are coming in. This is on expected lines as the film failed to generate necessary advances prior to its release. LSC despite being an Aamir Khan film is all set to depend on word of mouth now.
Laal Singh Chaddha has taken an opening of 15% or so in the morning shows today. Samples are from multiplexes only. The opening is slow and ideally, the film needed an opening of 20-30% considering the film’s face value and budget. LSC is carrying a heavy budget and hence a good box office number is a must.
Laal Singh Chaddha’s first-day collection can still touch double-digit and even go beyond if the film shows a good pick up in the occupancy as the day progresses. But a double-digit start is simply not enough for the film. A minimum of 15 crore nett opening is a must. Anything below will be an underperformance. Ideally, the film needed an opening of 18-20 crore nett but that looks improbable now.
Laal Singh Chaddha is clashing with another biggie in Raksha Bandhan. Despite the box office clash, there is no worry for the film as it has gotten more than enough screens. Had there been a screen issue or high occupancy then the clash factor would have been significant. It may still come into effect if either of the film or both perform well at the box office. Then we may see a shortage of screens on Saturday or Sunday.
Overall Laal Singh Chaddha is one of the weakest openings of Aamir Khan ever. It is easily the weakest opening in recent years. If the film fails to show the necessary growth in occupancy in the latter half of the day then even a double-digit finish will be a struggle. Let’s see how things unfold in the second half of the day.
