Akshay Kumar's period drama Samrat Prithviraj’s shows in many circuits are being cancelled, as per reports, due to zero occupancy to make way for more commercially viable films. This is reminiscent of the fate of Kangana Ranaut-starrer Dhaakad which had reportedly put up a collection of just Rs 4,400 on day 8 of its release with just 20 tickets sold across India.
As per film trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the has made just Rs 55 crore against a budget of Rs 200 crore and has been a commercial failure.
"Samrat Prithviraj is rejected... The heavy budget on one hand and the poor outcome on the other, has sent shock waves within the industry... Fri 10.70 cr, Sat 12.60 cr, Sun 16.10 cr, Mon 5 cr, Tue 4.25 cr, Wed 3.60 cr, Thu 2.80 cr. Total: r55.05 cr,” he tweeted.
Samrat Prithviraj, a YRF production, directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, opened in theatres on June 3 where it clashed with two films from different territories - the trilingual Major (Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam) and the pan-India Vikram starring Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi.
While both Major and Vikram continue to register an upswing in their collections, Samrat Prithviraj has been singularly rejected by cinegoers.
The film is the second commercial dud in line both for Akshay Kumar (after Bachchhan Paandey) and Yash Raj Films (Jayeshbhai Jordaar).