Chandu Champion, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, directed by Kabir Khan and starring Kartik Aaryan in the lead role, hit theatres on 14 June. The film is based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, India's first paralympic gold medalist in freestyle swimming. The story and Kartik Aaryan's performance have received love from the critics and audiences alike. However, Chandu Champion isn't performing as per expectations at the box office.
It opened with Rs 5.40 crore, and witnessed a 45% growth on Day 2, earning Rs 7.70 crore on Saturday. Word of mouth helped the film see growth on Day 3, and it managed to collect Rs 11.01 crore. Till date, the film's collection stands at Rs 62.1 crore across India.
Before Chandu Champion, Ajay Devgn's Maidaan also couldn't manage high collections at the box office despite good reviews.
The Quint spoke to trade experts to understand why the appreciation didn't translate into numbers.
'Music Was a Letdown In Chandu Champion & Maidaan'
Trade analyst Komal Nahta said,
"Maidaan was too costly. Its cost of production was ridiculously high. Also, the first half was boring. I feel that the emotional appeal was not half as much as it ought to have been. I believe that it doesn’t matter whether the media likes a film or not. Ninety-eight percent of the media can be bought. And the public knows this."
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said that the Kabir Khan directorial is also an expensive film. "The absence of good music in both Maidaan and Chandu Champion has been a major disadvantage. You need music to reach to the masses and smaller centres."
Komal echoed Taran's opinion that the music in Chandu Champion was a big letdown. "The importance of hit music and exciting and inviting trailers for ensuring a bumper opening cannot be underestimated."
'Perhaps The Audience Prefers Kartik In a Certain Kind of Role'
Komal also said that the audience prefers Kartik in a certain kind of role.
"Chandu Champion is a film outside Kartik's comfort zone. Perhaps the audience prefers to see him in lover boy roles and comedy films. The posters showing him with a bruised face is starkly different from what Kartik does. Nevertheless, the film is steady at medium collections in the second week."Komal Nahta, Trade Analyst
When asked if there's a reservation towards biopics Komal said, "Serious films and films full of drama, especially biopics, take a lot of time to make and post pandemic they have their limitations. Chandu Champion is a well- made film but films like this and Maidaan are limited to metros. Despite heightened emotions they have not been able to penetrate smaller centres or mass pockets. I think it is because in the mass pockets only wholesome entertainers work."
Although the film is picking up in a handful of multiplexes in some metros Taran said, "Kalki 2898 AD is releasing on 27 June and it is going to take away a chunk of screens. It will be interesting to see how the other films perform once Kalki releases."
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