In a surprising turn of events, Superstar Hrithik Roshan’s latest Bollywood blockbuster “Fighter,” met with turbulence at the Indian box office soon after its take-off on January 25, 2024. The film’s opening gambit did not foreshadow the underwhelming trajectory that lay ahead. A cinematic endeavor designed to captivate audiences with its high-octane energy and star power, “Fighter” started its journey promisingly, amassing an impressive 23 crores on opening day. Its fortunes soared even higher the following day—a Republic Day holiday—in India, raking in an additional 38 crores. A decent haul of 27 crores marked the third day, maintaining steady but not spectacular altitude.
However, the film struggled to gain altitude on its fourth day, a national holiday, with collections hovering around a modest 28 crores. The most alarming drop occurred on the subsequent Monday when “Fighter” plummeted to a mere 7.5 crores, confounding industry observers who had banked on the movie’s pedigree—Hrithik Roshan’s drawing power, director Siddharth Anand’s previous success with Shah Rukh Khan’s hit “Pathaan,” a significant budget, and the ear-catching soundtrack.
Upon investigating the box office nosedive, analysts suggest five potential factors contributing to “Fighter’s” disappointing performance:
1. Trailer Impact: While not panned outright, the movie’s trailer failed to galvanize potential moviegoers, drawing criticism for blending into the landscape of preceding action movies. In the face of recent cinematic successes delivering powerful trailers like “Animal” and “Jawaan,” “Fighter’s” promotional teaser appeared lackluster in comparison.
2. Marketing Misfire: Industry experts speculated that the film’s marketing strategy failed to ignite sufficient interest and excitement ahead of the release, unlike the vigorous promotional drives that typically accompany major Bollywood releases.
3. Action Overload: A recent inundation of action films may have oversaturated the genre, potentially leading to a case of audience burnout, which could explain the disinterest in yet another action-packed cinematic experience.
4. Mass Appeal Mismatch: Although Hrithik Roshan enjoys a robust fan following, “Fighter” was accused of primarily targeting urban centers and multiplexes, inadvertently excluding the mass audience pervading India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, thereby limiting its overall demographic reach; paradoxically, it maintained a strong presence in metropolitan areas.
5. Niche Narrative: “Fighter’s” pivotal theme of aerial combat might have come across as esoteric and disconnected from the mass audience’s sensibilities. Comparisons to Hollywood’s “Top Gun: Maverick”—a movie many had already seen—further diminished the film’s novelty, putting it at a comparative disadvantage.
Despite underwhelming domestic performance, “Fighter” ascended to greater heights internationally, garnering $8.5 million across foreign markets in just over a week—a sum significantly buoyed by robust earnings in the United States and Canada.
Cinema enthusiasts and Roshan fans can next anticipate his inclusion in the YRF Spy Universe, with “WAR 2.” In this upcoming Pan India spectacle set for a 2025 release, Roshan will engage superstar JR NTR in a high-stakes duel. Despite the recent setback, the industry buzz has already hinted at blockbuster potential for this sequel, stirring excitement across the movie world.
Conclusively, while “Fighter” may not have conquered the domestic box office skies as expected, the film’s international acclaim and the prospect of Hrithik Roshan’s forthcoming projects offer solace—and the promise of redemption—in the unpredictable world of cinema.
