O Romeo has begun its time in cinemas with some force, and while critics aren’t all in agreement, people are certainly talking well about the acting. The thriller – from director Vishal Bhardwaj and starring Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri – was released around Valentine’s Day, and although it had some dips during the week, it’s still brought in audiences with its story of fierce, passionate feelings.
Box Office Day-by-Day
The film made Rs 8.5 crore on its first day, then really picked up on Saturday to Rs 12.65 crore, with couples and those who go to the cinema at weekends going to see it. The timing, around Valentine’s Day, and the first interest in its rather dark view of love and revenge, helped the film do well. Sunday saw numbers fall back to Rs 9 crore, and weekday income got lower still. Monday was down to about Rs 4.75 crore as the usual weekday pattern came back, showing this film is more reliant on the first few days than a few recent releases.
Day 5 and Total Income
People who follow the industry say the film made around Rs 5 crore on Tuesday, so the total in India is now about Rs 39.9 crore after 5 days. Being nearly at Rs 40 crore is a good start for a film that’s a little different, and isn’t cheerful. Worldwide, O Romeo has been more successful in other countries, and has made around Rs 61.3 crore in total so far – with approximately Rs 15 crore of that from outside India. These figures show there’s an audience for the film beyond the large Indian cities.
How Many People Went and Weekend Effects
Not many people went to morning showings, but evening and night showings did better, with night showings at around the middle of the 20s percent range. The interest in the afternoons and evenings showed that the younger audience and those who go out late at night were more interested in the violent-romance mix of the film. The Valentine’s weekend increase proved how good the timing was – the film used the romantic calendar to get viewers, but interest during the week has been limited. Another film being released on the same day also meant that audiences were split.
How It Compares to Shahid Kapoor’s Other Films
O Romeo has already made more in total than a number of Shahid Kapoor’s earlier films, including films that made in the mid 30s crore range. It has certainly gone past the total of Rangoon, which is a landmark for this actor-director pairing. When compared to Vishal Bhardwaj’s earlier work with Shahid, O Romeo is below the highest income of their biggest successes, like Kaminey and Haider. However, for a gloomy, genre film about love, and based in organised crime, its early commercial success is good.
What Might Happen and the Final Amount
Critics are not all in agreement, but the acting – particularly by Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri – is consistently praised. Good acting often means a film does well for longer if people continue to recommend it, and this film could become stable in the next few weeks if that happens. How it does internationally and the fact there isn’t much direct competition might help the total income. At around Rs 40 crore in India after 5 days, O Romeo has found its place, mixing skillful direction with commercial aspects and leaving the possibility of a stable, if not amazing, run in the cinema.
