Varun Dhawan's latest release, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, has taken a very disappointing opening across India. Despite releasing on a national holiday (October 2), the rom-com flick failed to touch double-digits on the opening day and is already reporting a drop of around 40 percent on the second day as the early estimates come in.
The Shashank Khaitan-directorial, that also features Jhanvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf, has obtained reasonably positive reviews from viewers but the numbers aren't reflecting that at the moment. The clash with a magnum opus like Kantara: Chapter 1 has surely dented Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari which could have done better numbers if not for the heavy competition. The first day collections in India are approximately Rs 9.50 crore nett, which is an extremely underwhelming number.
For reference, Cocktail that released way back in 2012, opened to Rs 10.50 crore nett across India. With inflation adjustment, that remains the biggest opening day for a Bollywood film in the rom-com genre. Statistically, the record is with Ranbir Kapoor's Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar which registered a first day collection of Rs 14 crore nett. Historically, this genre has struggled to open big with Cocktail being the only exception, and that film was the perfect mix of blockbuster music, big star cast and the 2010s being a relatively rom-com friendly era.
With a weak first day, Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari's fortunes are compounded and it ideally needs a second day where the collections don't drop by more than 20-25 percent. Unfortunately, that is out of the window as the morning shows have already shown a big drop and while the collections should improve in the evening and night shows, the best result for now seems like a Rs 5-5.50 crore nett on the second day.
The film will need to show remarkable surge on Saturday and Sunday to stay afloat as anything else will mean a freefall at the box office. The positive is that such films do tend to show a big spike across the weekend if reports are positive. The makers will hope that the film can hold its own despite the strong Kantara wave.
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari Day 1: Rs 9.50 crore nett
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari Day 2: Rs 5.50 crore nett (estimated)
