Experts on Why 'Vikram' Worked at the Box Office & 'Samrat Prithviraj' Didn't

3 June saw a clash between two star-backed films - Vikram and Samrat Prithviraj.

Stills from Kamal Haasan's Vikram & Akshay Kumar's Samrat Prithviraj.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Three big films released on 3 June - Akshay Kumar’s Samrat Prithviraj, Kamal Haasan’s Vikram and Adivi Sesh’s Major. While the young and talented Adivi has been getting a lot of appreciation for his role, the other two films have been shouldered by the biggest stars from the Kollywood and Bollywood industries.

'Tough Competition When it Comes to Release Dates'

Speaking about the box office competition trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai told The Quint, ”Out of the 52 weeks in a year, the releasable dates are about 36 weeks since the rest fall during monsoon or examination seasons. All the films have to be released at the best available slots and that's why competition is bound to take place”.

Another trade analyst Ramesh Bala said that though these films are releasing in multiple languages, essentially Samrat Prithviraj is a Hindi film, and Vikram and Major are Tamil and Telugu films respectively. "They are expected to perform well in their home grounds. However, considering Kamal Haasan’s reach in both the North and South, Vikram has had a better opening".

'Samrat Prithviraj' vs 'Vikram': The BO Numbers

Despite a slow start on Friday, Samrat Prithviraj recorded a good first weekend at the box office. However, the numbers seemed to dip after Sunday.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to social media to write that the Akshay Kumar-starrer witnessed a sharp decline after the weekend.

"Verified #SamratPrithviraj has a sharp decline on Day 4 [Mon]... Should've scored in double digits or thereabouts to make up for the unsatisfactory biz on Day 1 and 2... Biz at national chains remains dull... Fri 10.70 cr, Sat 12.60 cr, Sun 16.10 cr, Mon 5 cr. Total: 44.40 cr. #India biz (sic)", he had posted.

While Samrat Prithviraj struggled to cross 50 crore in the first two days, Vikram entered the 100 crore club on the second day and grossed a whopping Rs 175 crore worldwide in just four days.

How Did 'Vikram' Appeal to The Audience?

Speaking about what made Vikram click with the audience Ramesh Bala said,

"There was a huge hype around Vikram, and the star cast, including Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil, added to the intrigue. The film lived up to the hype and that reflected in the box office numbers. All the reviews are also positive".

He added, "Vikram has worked exceptionally in Tamil and Telugu. The Hindi version didn't do as well. If we were to talk about KGF 2 and RRR working in the North, I think it was because they had rigorous promotions and also because they released after the massive successes of KGF 1 and Baahubali 1&2. Vikram had a decent but not an exceptional promotional strategy in the North. Added to that, many viewers have complained about the lack of availability of shows".

Trade analyst Komal Nahata explained why Samrat Prithviraj failed to perform as per expectations.

"Akshay Kumar’s 'Samrat Prithviraj' didn't resonate with the audience. It performed well in the first weekend because to the hype surrounding it, especially after political leaders such Yogi Adityanath and Amit Shah saw the film”.

Komal Nahata, Trade Analyst

While some films work and some don’t, pan Indian releases seem to have become a current favourite. The Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners' Association President Tirupur M Subramaniam told The Quint, "Pan Indian films are the future of Indian cinema".