Vedaa vs Khel Khel Mein box office: Both films struggle for audience attention
Akshay Kumar-led Khel Khel Mein and John Abraham’s Vedaa were released alongside Shraddha Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao’s Stree 2 on Independence Day.
While Stree 2 is the clear choice for cinephiles, having already earned over Rs 90 crore, Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa are benefiting from the long Independence Day-Rakshabandhan weekend.
On Friday, August 16, the comedy-drama Khel Khel Mein, backed by an ensemble cast, plummeted at the ticket counters as its box office earnings fell from Rs 5.05 crore on Thursday to Rs 1.90 crore on Friday. This brings the film’s two-day collection to Rs 6.95 crore. Film trade experts had expected the film to grow after positive word of mouth. Instead, its second-day collection has put its future at the ticket counters at risk.
Similarly, John Abraham’s Vedaa witnessed a significant dip in its earnings on its second day. The film, which started its box office run with Rs 6.3 crore on Independence Day, could only earn Rs 1.60 crore on Friday, bringing its two-day total collection to Rs 7.90 crore. This figure is less than John’s previous theatrical release, Ek Villain Returns, which had earned Rs 14.52 crore in its first two days at the box office.
Earlier, film distributor Akshaye Rathi had pointed out how Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein could have had a better box office run had they not been released alongside the horror-comedy drama Stree 2. The film is already past the Rs 90 crore mark and will easily enter the Rs 100 crore club on Saturday, August 17.
“We need to be much more sensible and careful about when and how we release our movies, making them compelling enough to be a first choice rather than a second or third option, even if it is a holiday,” Rathi told IndiaToday.in. He added that since there are no Bollywood releases on the upcoming Fridays, August 22 and August 29, the makers of Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein could have easily pushed their films’ releases for a wider projection.
Now, with a prolonged holiday period, it remains to be seen if Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa can end their box office run with a respectable number.