Vicky Kaushal’s latest film “Bad Newz” premiered in theaters last Friday, marking a strong start with an opening day box office collection of Rs 8.5 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
This achievement is noteworthy as the last film to surpass this figure on its opening day was the Eid release “Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” which earned Rs 16 crore initially but quickly lost momentum. “Bad Newz” now stands as the highest opener in Vicky’s career, surpassing his previous record set by 2019’s “Uri,” which earned Rs 8.2 crore on its opening day and eventually grossed over Rs 245 crore in India.
On its debut day, “Bad Newz” recorded an overall occupancy of 22.83%, with a significant number attending the night shows. In Mumbai, where it had 835 screenings, the occupancy rate was 20.75%. In Delhi and NCR, it saw a higher turnout with 26% occupancy across 1054 screenings. The film received extensive promotion, boosting anticipation among film distributors and exhibitors. Notably, “Bad Newz” secured double the number of screenings compared to Akshay Kumar’s “Sarfira.”
Industry experts anticipate that “Bad Newz” will gain momentum over the weekend, with projections suggesting it could earn over Rs 30 crore in its first weekend alone. The film is being compared to urban-centric movies like “Crew” and “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya,” which started their box office journeys with Rs 10.28 crore and Rs 7.02 crore respectively, and went on to achieve significant box office totals.
Starring alongside Vicky Kaushal are Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk. Directed by Anand Tiwari, “Bad Newz” has garnered mixed reviews from critics.