PremiumMerry Christmas box office – Katrina Kaif & Vijay Sethupathi’s film makes an underwhelming start
Expectations are high, and the Sriram Raghavan directorial almost succeeds in standing true to them. But looks like the good reviews haven’t reflected on box office.
Last Updated: 12.05 PM, Jan 13, 2024
The first Hindi movie to hit the big screen on the second Friday of the year was Merry Christmas. Starring Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in lead roles, the movie has been one of the most-anticipated films of 2024 ever since it was announced. Sriram Raghavan pulled off a slow-burning thriller with Andhadhun, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, and Radhika Apte, and the latest one marks his return to the big screen. This means the expectations are high, and the film almost succeeds in standing true to them. But looks like the good reviews haven’t reflected on the day one at the box office.
Merry Christmas Box Office
The movie stars Katrina Kaif, and South superstar Vijay Sethupathi, and is directed by Sriram Raghavan, who has delivered some sleeper hits. Expectations are high because the content has now been validated by the critics who have loved the movie at large. While it is not on par with Andhadhun, this Katrina and Vijay starrer has its merits, and that is enough to make it a very strong and entertaining film. It is a given that the film isn't a mass entertainer, but the trend cannot be predicted either.
However, on the first day of its release, Merry Christmas made a pretty low start at the domestic box office. According to an India Today report, Merry Christmas has opened to a total domestic collection of Rs 2.55 crore, which is a very slow start. With the star pull and a filmmaker so loved, the opening was expected to be much higher, but it turns out the audience is yet to believe in the movie and invest in the tickets. However, good word of mouth can help this Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif-starrer now, and you never know, the numbers might skyrocket soon.
But what is worrisome is the fact that the Rs 2.55-crore collection is actually a total of all the languages and not just Hindi. This means the numbers look even lower when you consider that aspect. The Hindi occupancy on Friday was 11.56%, while in the Tamil zone, it was 18.02%. This means the word of mouth for Merry Christmas will have to be very strong for the film to survive on the big screen for the longer run. The movie definitely deserves to be seen by the maximum audience as the content is top-notch.
Merry Christmas Review: Merry Christmas is an out-and-out Sriram Raghavan drama with twists and turns that you aren’t prepared for. But what you are not prepared for even more is the humor and dark comedy it brings with it. This could be the funniest Raghavan movie yet. Katrina Kaif gives her career-best performance, and Vijay Sethupathi is at his humorous best. The movie has a crescendo that makes you travel with it, and the climax leaves you wondering what you have just witnessed. For one of the best proposal scenes in the history of world cinema, OTTplay in their review gave the movie a 3.5-star rating.
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