Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter took off to a steady start at the box office, earning Rs 22.5 crore on its opening day. The movie, which also stars Anil Kapoor, Kararn Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi among others, witnessed a growth in its extended weekend. However, the film nosedived during the weekdays. Director Siddharth Anand has now reflected on why Fighter has not been able to repeat the success of his last two releases War and Pathaan.
Listing various reasons for Fighter’s underwhelming box office performance, Siddharth told Galatta Plus that one of the reasons the movie failed to pick up is that it was released on a working day, January 25. He admitted that their expectations as makers, including himself having delivered Pathaan just one year ago, have become a little unrealistic.
“We need to keep our expectations in check and align them with the product. Also, it was a working day. Thursday is considered mid-week. For instance, we held a special screening for friends and family on Thursday, and whoever we texted and asked, at least 40% of them asked, ‘Is the show in the evening?’ So, that time, it hit us how will people bunk work or bunk school and come in the morning,” he added.
Listing various reasons for Fighter’s underwhelming box office performance, Siddharth told Galatta Plus that one of the reasons the movie failed to pick up is that it was released on a working day, January 25. He admitted that their expectations as makers, including himself having delivered Pathaan just one year ago, have become a little unrealistic.
“We need to keep our expectations in check and align them with the product. Also, it was a working day. Thursday is considered mid-week. For instance, we held a special screening for friends and family on Thursday, and whoever we texted and asked, at least 40% of them asked, ‘Is the show in the evening?’ So, that time, it hit us how will people bunk work or bunk school and come in the morning,” he added.
This is how much Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone charged to star in ‘Fighter’
Siddharth also said that the concept of Fighter is alien to a larger section of the audience in India. He explained that the genre is a huge leap for a filmmaker since it’s a space that is unexplored and absolutely new, adding that it has no reference point for the audience. “They are like, ‘What are these planes doing?’” he expressed.
The filmmaker also mentioned that when Anil Kapoor saw Fighter, he told him that he will be remembered for Fighter for a long time, while quoting the example of
Amitabh Bachchan‘s Sholay and Deewar, which were also released close to each other like Pathaan and Fighter.