The theatrical landscape recently witnessed a head-to-head clash between two mid-budget Hindi films, but their box office journeys have taken drastically different paths. On one hand, the comedy-drama Vibe, starring Kunal Kemmu and Preity Zinta, has found late-stage momentum with a massive surge in ticket sales. On the other hand, the highly anticipated crime-thriller Daayra, featuring Kareena Kapoor and Prithviraj Sukumaran, has failed to sustain any audience interest, collapsing under the weight of low attendance from its very first weekend. Both films were released simultaneously, but their commercial fates have turned out to be polar opposites.
The Steep Decline of Meghna Gulzar’s Cop Drama Daayra
Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the crime-thriller Daayra was designed as a high-stakes, pan-Indian project, blending actors from both Hindi cinema and the South Indian film industry. The story revolves around a tense ideological standoff between two law enforcement officers with contrasting methods. Kareena Kapoor portrays a disciplined officer who insists on operating strictly within the boundaries of the law. In contrast, Prithviraj Sukumaran plays a rival officer notorious for carrying out controversial encounters, leading to severe scrutiny and subsequent departmental action against his methods. The film attempts to explore the moral grey areas of modern policing, but audiences struggled to connect with the execution.
Despite the intriguing premise and starry cast, Daayra met with a lukewarm response from the public right from its opening day. According to data provided by box office tracking platforms, the film managed a meager launch of just 1 crore rupees. The struggle continued into the weekend, with both Saturday and Sunday registering flat collections of 1.75 crore rupees each. Failing to build momentum, the movie's theatrical run fell apart during the weekdays. Over Monday and Tuesday, the collections plummeted, bringing in a combined total of only 50 lakh rupees. The downward trend showed no signs of stopping in its second week, with the film crawling to 13 lakh rupees on its second Friday and managing a minor rise to 22 lakh rupees on Saturday. Currently, the cumulative worldwide gross for Daayra stands at a disappointing 10.13 crore rupees.
Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe Registers a Massive Weekend Jump
In sharp contrast to the struggles of Daayra, the light-hearted comedy Vibe, which marks Kunal Kemmu's directorial effort alongside starring Preity Zinta, has emerged as a preferred choice for family audiences. Although the film experienced a relatively quiet run during the weekdays, it staged a remarkable comeback on its second weekend. Kemmu's lively treatment of the comedic subject managed to engage the audience, allowing the film to build steady momentum through positive word-of-mouth. Reports indicate that the comedy registered a stellar 80 percent growth in ticket sales on its ninth day of release.
This dramatic weekend surge on Saturday saw Vibe collect 0.90 crore rupees in a single day. This steady accumulation has pushed its domestic net box office collection to 12.65 crore rupees, with the domestic gross standing at 15.09 crore rupees. On the global front, the film has brought in an additional 2.05 crore rupees, propelling its total worldwide gross collection to 17.14 crore rupees. By maintaining consistent performance, Kunal Kemmu's directorial venture has comfortably outpaced Kareena Kapoor's action-drama, proving that light-hearted comedy remains a highly resilient genre for theatrical audiences.
