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Box Office: Despite underperforming, Kangana Ranaut's Emergency WINS against Azaad by a double margin
Despite Kangana Ranaut's movie Emergency putting up a poor performance at the box office, it has managed to collect more than its release rival Azaad at the box office.
Emergency, directed by Kangana Ranaut, and starring herself in the title role, has performed poorly at the box office. The Indira Gandhi biopic, from the perspective of Kangana Ranaut, has only managed a global worldwide total of Rs 22 crore. However, there is a silver lining for the movie as it has managed to win the clash against Azaad. Abhishek Kapoor's Azaad, starring Rasha Thadani and Aaman Devgn, with Ajay Devgn in the supporting role, has only managed to collect Rs 10 crore worldwide.
Emergency locked horns with Azaad on the 17th of January, 2025. The Kangana Ranaut movie established a lead over the period-drama from the very first day and it continued till the end of the run. However, what the makers of both movies didn't see coming are such poor numbers. Both movies have ended as theatrical disasters. Azaad, due to a lower budget and relatively better digital deals, may not burn the pocket of its producers but same can't be said for Emergency. Emergency, apart from having a bigger budget, also went through multiple delays which significantly increased the film's budget.
The industry is going through a difficult time with movies performing in extremes. It seems as though the audiences are planning their theatrical outings, very well in advance. Movies featuring a big star (with the right genre and presentation) or a movies part of a big franchise or universe, are putting up strong numbers. But then, there are independently made films which are struggling to get the initial audience. When the audiences don't turn up at the start, it becomes extremely difficult for the word of mouth to spread.
It is very rare that a low opener like 12th Fail, gets to a total of over Rs 55 crore net in India, in today's time. Most small films bite the dust at the box office, because they generally don't have strong promotional campaigns, and because audiences are oblivious of the film's content; as they have made up their mind to watch the movie on OTT, in just a gap of 8 weeks.
Indian filmmakers have to work on creating strong and exciting IPs that can result in people flocking to theatres. The performance of not just Emergency and Azaad but also Fateh, Sky Force and Deva, should convince filmmakers to focus more on building strong IPs than making independent films that audiences don't wish to watch in theatres.
Emergency and Azaad will be available to be watched on digital, in just a little over 5 weeks from the time of this article. Did you watch either of the films? If yes, how did you find them to be? Do let us know.
Box Office: Does Kangana Ranaut-starrer Emergency's Rs 22 crore worldwide theatrical failure indicate movies and politics should be treated differently?
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