Rajkummar Rao has stepped into the gangster genre with his latest release, Maalik, which hit theatres this Friday. Directed by Pulkit, the film also features Manushi Chhillar, Saurabh Shukla, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Swanand Kirkire, and Saurabh Sachdeva in prominent roles. Despite the buzz around Rao’s new avatar, the film opened below industry expectations. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Maalik earned Rs 3.35 crore on its opening day.
The film registered an overall Hindi occupancy rate of just 12.86% on Friday. It began on a sluggish note with morning shows drawing only 6.65%. Occupancy saw minimal improvement through the afternoon (11.12%) and evening (11.78%), before rising slightly to 21.88% by night. Regionally, Chennai led the charts with 26.67% occupancy, followed closely by Lucknow (24.00%) and Jaipur (22.00%). Surprisingly, traditional strongholds like Mumbai and Delhi NCR underperformed with just 13.00% and 14.25% occupancy respectively.
Maalik’s opening day numbers fall short of Rajkummar Rao’s previous release, Bhool Chuk Maaf, which collected Rs 7 crore on Day 1. It also trailed behind The Diplomat, the John Abraham-led political thriller, which earned Rs 4 crore on its debut. However, Maalik fared better than Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, starring Vikrant Massey and Shanaya Kapoor, which opened to a modest Rs 32 lakh.
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The film faces tough competition at the box office from both domestic and international releases. Among Indian films, Metro… In Dino, now in its second week, earned Rs 2.25 crore on Friday, bringing its total collection to Rs 29.1 crore. Meanwhile, Hollywood’s summer blockbuster Jurassic World Rebirth continues its strong run, entering its second week with Rs 3 crore on Friday and taking its cumulative total past Rs 58 crore. Adding to the pressure, Superman, another major Hollywood tentpole, released this week and collected Rs 7 crore on Day 1, nearly double the earnings of Maalik.
There was significant anticipation surrounding Rajkummar Rao’s foray into the gangster genre, especially in an era when many top actors are exploring action-oriented roles. However, early reviews and word-of-mouth have been mixed, with criticism directed at the film’s generic storyline and lack of character depth. With a reported budget of Rs 54 crore, Maalik now faces an uphill battle at the box office. Unless it sees a dramatic turnaround in audience reception over the weekend, the film may struggle to recover its costs.
