Six years after being seen as a solo lead in Why Cheat India, Emraan Hashmi returns as the lead protagonist with a theatrical release in Ground Zero. In between, he has played the antagonist in Tiger 3, besides playing other supporting roles in theatre and OTT shows/films.
But the weekend collections for Ground Zero were low, as the numbers stood at Rs 5.50 crore* (Rs 55 million).
The opening day was below the mark at Rs 1.25 crore* (Rs 12.5 million) and though there was growth over the weekend, it was just the usual that happens with such multiplex films.
For Ground Zero to truly make its presence felt, it needed to first double and then triple its collections on Saturday and Sunday respectively because that would have meant some chance for Monday to at least replicate Friday, if not go ahead of it.
But none of that happened.
Ground Zero is a decent watch but word-of-mouth needs to be strong for the weekdays to stay stable as well.
The other release of the week, Phule, is a niche film and saw a restricted release.
Collections were minimal at less than Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) and the only hope for its success is on the basis of word-of-mouth.
Meanwhile, Kesari: Chapter 2 has done well in the second weekend and has brought in around Rs 19 crore (190 million).
The total collections for the Akshay Kumar-starrer stands at Rs 66 crore* (Rs 660 million) and this week, it will go past the Rs 75 crore (Rs 750 million) mark.
*Estimates.
Note: All collections as per various box office sources.
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