‘An Action Hero’ Scores Below $1 Million

The latest Hindi film that released in India – An Action Hero – is receiving wide critical acclaim but the movie had a damp show at the ticket windows across the country. The film earned a mere $7,33,564 over the first weekend while Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam 2 continued to attract footfalls even in the third week of its release.

An Action Hero had a dismal opening of $0.15 million on Friday in the Indian markets and the collections saw a steep rise the next day. The film collected $0.26 million and $0.3 million on Saturday and Sunday. It collected roughly 10000 pounds in the UK.

Written by Neeraj Yadav and directed by debutant Anirudh Iyer, the film traces thrilling events surrounding the life of a Bollywood hero. Ayushmann Khurrana essays the titular role of the hero who is ruling the film industry and accidentally becomes the prime suspect in a murder. How he races against law and time to save himself is what forms the storyline. It also features Jaideep Ahlawat in the role of the antagonist and Akshay Kumar has a fun cameo as well.

An Action Hero is about an actor ruling Bollywood and uses the plot for a sharp take on current affairs that comes across as smart and witty. Unlike most news satire pieces, the sequences in the film that ridicule the way India media functions, appear to be part of narrative and natural. They hit the nail right on its head without being preachy or repetitive. The film also features commentary on the arrogant attitude of stars.

An Action Hero has surprised film trade analysts as it has all the elements of an entertainer, and also enjoys a good word-of-the-mouth. The latest figures for Khurrana’s film reflect how movie-viewing has changed since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020 when digital platforms saw unexpected growth and reached new markets due to a lack of outdoor options.

Since his 2012 debut with Vicky Donor, Khurrana has been known for choosing rare scripts for his projects. Most of his films are known to talk about subject that is taboo in the society and call out prejudices and malpractices such as racism, body-shaming and sexual prefrences. Some of the examples include Article 15, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Badhaai Ho, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui or Anek, among many others. Post 2020, such films are well-received on digital platforms, not in theatres.

Adivi Sesh-starrer HIT: The Second Case – HIT 2 also released on December 2 and has earned nearly $2 million over the first weekend. It collected $600,000 in the US markets over the weekend ending December 4.

Last week’s release Bhediya scored better than An Action Hero over the weekend. The Varun Dhawan-starrer horror comedy earned $1.2 million over its second weekend, making a total of $6.03 million.

Devgn’s Drishyam 2 also continued a successful run at the ticket windows across India in its third weekend. It earned $2.8 million in the third weekend of its release.

Meanwhile, two major Hindi films premiered online on December 2. NetflixNFLX
original Freddy is a dark psychological thriller that explores twisted minds and murders while Madhur Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown traces different stories of the common people as India went into complete lockdown soon after the pandemic outbreak in 2020. Both the film have received mixed responses.