Janhvi Kapoor’s ‘Ulajh’ Falls Short at Box Office with Disappointing Day 1 Collection
News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/3rd August 2024
Janhvi Kapoor’s latest film, Ulajh, has opened to a disappointing start at the box office. The spy thriller, which features a strong supporting cast including Roshan Mathew and Gulshan Deviah, struggled to capture audience interest on its first day. The film managed to earn just Rs 1.1 crore on its opening day, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. This figure reflects a less-than-stellar reception, both in terms of box office numbers and critical reviews.
Ulajh marks Janhvi Kapoor’s fifth film since her debut in 2018 and her second theatrical release this year, following Mr and Mrs Mahi. Her previous outing, Mili, also had a lackluster start, collecting only Rs 50 lakh on its opening day. In contrast, Mr and Mrs Mahi, backed by Dharma Productions and featuring Rajkummar Rao, enjoyed a stronger debut with an opening day collection of Rs 7 crore.
On its first day, Ulajh saw an overall occupancy rate of around 18 percent, with the night show attracting approximately 20.78 percent of the audience. The film’s performance varied by location, with Mumbai showing an occupancy of 13.75 percent across its 293 screenings, and Delhi and NCR recording 11.75 percent across 343 shows. The film’s limited showtimes were partly due to its clash with Ajay Devgn and Tabu’s Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, which itself had a subdued start with a collection of Rs 2 crore.
The underwhelming performance of both Ulajh and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is compounded by the strong competition from Deadpool and Wolverine, which was released the previous week and is still performing robustly in its second weekend. Deadpool and Wolverine earned Rs 4.25 crore on its second Friday alone, surpassing the combined earnings of Ulajh and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha.
The film’s poor performance can be attributed to its inability to generate significant buzz among moviegoers. Reports indicate that Ulajh had lackluster pre-sales, with fewer than 750 tickets sold across the top three national chains. Given this slow start, industry experts predict that Ulajh may struggle to surpass the Rs 3 crore mark over the weekend.
In the broader context of Hindi cinema, female-led films often face an uphill battle at the box office, and Ulajh’s performance aligns closely with that of Kangana Ranaut’s Tejas, which released in 2023. Tejas had a slightly better opening day with Rs 1.2 crore but ultimately managed to collect Rs 4.1 crore during its entire run.
Overall, Ulajh’s initial reception highlights ongoing challenges for female-led films in the Indian film industry and underscores the competitive nature of the current cinematic landscape.
