Hari Hara Veera struggles at the box office on Day 5 with a sharp drop in collections as competition rises; will Pawan Kalyan’s epic recover mid-week?
With high expectations and expectations that are unreachable, Hari Harra Veera Mallu: Part 1, the period action epic of Pawan Kalyan, played the most popular music ever. Equipped with its magnificent setting, excellent cast, and huge production budget, the film was to be a breaker of a new game in the Telugu film industry.
Yet, the smoke has cleared after its inaugural weekend, and those figures point to a different picture: lower-than-anticipated reactions and gut-wrenching declines in profits and stiff competition ahead.
Although back at the beginning of the year, it had a strong opening, specifically due to the huge fan base and dedicated marketing of Pawan Kalyan, now it seems that the movie is in some sort of difficult situation. The much-hyped Monday test, which is more or less regarded as a test of the future of a movie at the box office, has turned out not to be so kind to Hari Hara Veera Mallu. In its fifth day, the movie can just earn a paltry 2.32 crore (net), taking its India total to 77.57 crore, according to early estimates of an industry tracker Sacnilk.
A Good But Short-Lived Beginning
Hari Hara Veera Mallu went off with a bang. The movie was released with paid previews on Wednesday, and it had a smashing opening of 12.75 crore despite not being released on Thursday. On opening day, it had gained 34.75 crores rupees in India, and thus it got a total of 47.5 crores rupees only within a day.
During the subsequent days, the movie experienced a downward trend, although it recorded decent numbers. The collections reduced on the second day to 8 crores and made a tiny jump over the weekend to make 9.15 crores on Saturday and 10.6 crores on Sunday. The figures contributed towards its gross in the country, crossing the 100 crore mark within five days of release, which not all other movies even achieve. But it seems that early hype is wearing off quickly.
Monday Crash: The Telltale Sign
By Monday, it appeared to Die-hard fans that the exuberance over the film had died down a great deal. Only 2.32 crore was collected with a humongous -78 per cent decrease in collections compared to Sunday on the fifth day of the movie. This drastic decline has cast a real doubt on the capabilities of the film to carry on the momentum throughout the week.
The first Monday is commonly regarded as the gauge of a movie at the box office by industry insiders. The plummet is also usually an indication that the movie is front-loaded, self-powered by publicity and advance ticket sales.
Occupancy rates depict a bleak situation
Monday occupancy statistics back this up. The occupancy rate of the film in the Telugu-speaking areas was only 15.68%. The morning shows were performing poorly with 13.31 per cent, and the afternoon (15.62 per cent), evening (16.53 per cent), and night (17.25 per cent) performances were only marginally better.
Such figures indicate a concerning trend where the movie is not connecting with viewers to an extent outside what would be perceived as the fandom. To add on top, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam dubbed versions have contributed very little, which is a sign of low pan-Indian potential.
The Problems of Break-Even, Budgetary Strain
The enormous budget of 300 crores (reported) that Hari Hara Veera Mallu claims to have is one of the largest difficulties that it has to contend with. Movie box office sales at the minimum to make the film recoup the cost would require it to continue generating high revenue over a prolonged duration, and this is becoming extremely difficult.
As much as the global gross has surpassed that of 102.7 crores, it is still a long way to go before we can declare the movie to be profitable. Unimpressive critical reviews, mediocre response among the viewers, and the increasing competition might prove to hurt the profitability of the film.
The Threat of the Kingdom is Big
As if the situation with the film was not enough, Kingdom, which is also a high-octane spy thriller film, is all set to release soon, featuring Vijay Deverakonda. Kingdom will be released in theatres in the next two days, and it will be one of the most-awaited Telugu movies of the year, which will be attended by huge masses.
The trade pundits are saying that after Kingdom, there is a possibility of loss of more screens and shows as well by Hari Hara Veera Mallu, particularly in multiplexes. Without Kingdom performing poorly- which is not very likely to happen-, the competition promises big holes in any leftover box office potential of Pawan Kalyan’s film.
Critical Reception: A Sudden Kill Of Another Notch
The way Hari Hara Veera Mallu has been received by critical voices has not done it any good either. The film was widely criticised by many reviewers who complained about its screenplay that lacked emotional depth and had too much reliance on a visual spectacle. Although some people were pleased with the action scenes and stage design, critics noted that even cool moves and scenery could not give them credit in front of a poorly structured plot and poorly developed characters.
Even Pawan Kalyan fans have come out complaining and saying that the movie is not up to the standard in terms of his potential and all the past successful box office movies. Such an ambivalence has been reflected in less favorable word-of-mouth, which is usually the most important factor in maintaining a film through its second weekend.
The People behind the Film
The director of Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 is Krish Jagarlamud, and AM Jyothi Krishna has been involved in the creative action as well. Featuring an ensemble cast with the antagonist Bobby Deol, the female lead Nidhhi Agerwal, and veteran actor Sathyaraj playing a prime role, the film is set to take the box office stage by storm.
MM Keeravani composes the music in the film, which won awards at the Oscars, and the cinematography is taken care of by both Gnana Shekar VS and Manoj Paramahamsa. Editing duties are coordinated by Praveen KL. The technical team was solid enough; however, the storytelling in the film has raised the eyebrows of critics; hence, this may contribute to failing to maintain interest in the story.
Where Does Hari Hara Veera Mallu Go Next?
The weekdays are now the eyes to watch to determine whether the movie is capable of stabilising or it is destined to fall further. As long as the movie can make satisfactory collections until Tuesday and Wednesday, it is not too late to hope for some recovery. But since Kingdom is on the back burner, and considering the present sporting decline in audience, the cards were against it.
The fate of the film is also subject to the international take and the satellite/digital rights earnings. Occasionally, movies that do badly in the theaters recoup budgets with streaming services, as well as foreign sales. Hari Hara Veera Mallu will have to wait and see whether it will move in the same direction.
Final Thoughts
Hari Hara Veera Mallu was a blockbuster in the sense that it had all the ingredients of success: a hit film, a household star, a big budget, a historical drama, and big aspirations. However, it is seldom that star power and visual effects are the only aspects affecting box office success. It is no surprise; with a poor Monday debut, criticized reviews, and upcoming competition, the film is struggling to stay at the top.
The hope of the weekend has given way, but it is difficult to maintain the impetus that was achieved at the opening weekend. The following days are going to be all-important as to whether this Pawan Kalyan movie can have the potential to reverse the situation or get lost in the crowd of events scheduled to release in 2025.
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