Chup box office collection day 1: The Sunny Deol-Dulquer Salmaan film has a solid Rs 2.5 crore opening

Chup: Revenge of the Artist, a thriller starring Sunny Deol and Dulquer Salmaan, had a strong opening weekend at the box office; thanks to National Cinema Day.

Directed by R Balki, Chup, became the second most-preferred film of the cine-goers, following Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s Brahmastra. And, the movie tickets were priced at just 75, on Friday.

According to Bollywood Hungama, Chup made between Rs 2.60 and 3.20 crore on its first day of release. However, the movie would have collected more had the ticket rates not been reduced.

Chup's success could serve as a lesson for the film industry on how affordable movie tickets can encourage the audience to return to theatres. The Balki-directorial reported strong advance ticket sales before its premiere. By Wednesday night, 63,000 tickets had been sold in India.

Additionally, Chup sold around 4 lakh tickets on the day of its release, surpassing the combined sales of tickets for Ajay Devgn's Runway 34, Shahid Kapoor's Jersey, and Ranveer Singh's Jayeshbhai Jordaar.

Chup is a psychological thriller directed by R Balki and follows a serial killer (Dulquer) who carves stars into the bodies of his victims. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, Jayantilal Gada, Anil Naidu, and Gauri Shinde are the film's producers. Saranya Ponvannan, Pooja Bhatt and Shreya Dhanwanthary also appear in crucial roles.

Balki said at a recent press conference: “What would matter to me is their honesty. I hope they're honest about the film and they critique it, not criticise it. When you say critiquing, it is about analysing: What's right and what's wrong. That would be far healthier for me.”

Further, he went on to add, “Saying that I don't care whether they give stars or not would be incorrect. It matters, of course. All of us are sensitive. But will I toss and turn all night long worrying about it? No, I won't! We all hope that people will be kind.”

According to Balki, Chup examines why disagreements between critics and directors frequently result in fights. “The flaws in our mentality are examined in this film from both the critics' and the industry's points of view. It examines what might occur if misconceptions are not resolved.”

The screenplay and dialogues of Chup are by R Balki, critic-turned-writer Raja Sen and Rishi Virmani.