O’ Romeo collected Rs. 7.50-7.75 crore nett approx on its opening day at the Indian box office. The opening day business is better than the previous two Shahid Kapoor films, Teri Baaton Main Uljha Jiya and Devaa, which netted Rs. 6.50 crore and Rs. 5.50 crore respectively. Materially, they are all at a similar level, separating each other by a crore or so.
There is said to be some punching done in the numbers, albeit minimal, as the ratio of business is a bit off from the norm. Normally, punching is done in the bigger chains; here, it seems to be down the order. Gujarat has netted Rs. 80 lakh approx, which for a film like this would mean Rs. 10 crore plus all-India, so there may be something there.
On the face value of this film and star cast, this opening can be termed fair, especially if it could go on to trend its way up over the weekend. These days, the lighter rom-coms are opening in this range; this film leans more towards the darker and thriller side, which is regarded as less commercial, so it’s not a bad result. However, from the economics pov, the film has very high costs involved, and they needed it to do better.
Director Vishal Bhardwaj has a dismal track record when it comes to the box office, so this result isn’t entirely surprising. His films with Shahid Kapoor, Kaminey and Haider, have done relatively better, although the previous one, Rangoon, didn’t do well, and even there, the costs were a bit excessive.
Looking at the bright side, today is Valentine’s Day. It is not an official holiday per se, but it is historically a strong day for moviegoing, especially for the film having love-story and caters to younger demographics, which this film can be said to be. As a result, the film could see a better-than-normal spike on Saturday, but ultimately, the key is to hold on Monday, especially when the start is not to the level it should be. The hope will be for the weekend to reach around Rs. 27-28 crore and then sustain on weekdays.
That will not be enough to cover its costs, but it could keep the box office running for a while, which looks like it will be a lull period till Dhurandhar 2 arrives next month.