Ground Zero box office collection Day 1: Emraan Hashmi’s military drama falls behind Loveyapa, Azaad; earns Rs 1 crore

The film just surpassed the numbers of Superboys of Malegaon (Rs 50 lakh), and has fallen in the same territory as Sohum Shah’s Crazxy. In fact, Ground Zero opened to numbers lower than Loveyapa (Rs 1.15 crore) and Azaad (Rs 1.5 crore). Nevertheless, one thing that stands out in Ground Zero is the overwhelming positive reviews, and it can effect a turnaround in the film’s fortunes.

ALSO READ: Ground Zero movie review: Emraan Hashmi’s Kashmir drama strikes a much-needed balance in these fraught times

We have already seen it happen in another national fervour-filled film, The Diplomat, which opened to Rs 4 crore, and sustained the onslaught of films like Chhaava and Sikandar to remain a crowd-favourite. This could be the case with Ground Zero too, but it might not have the strength of a long and uninterrupted run. With Kesari: Chapter 2 already drawing in the crowds, another sequel, Raid 2, is set to hit the screens on May 1, and might just stop Ground Zero on its tracks.

Apart from Emraan Hashmi, Ground Zero also stars a competent ensemble including actors like Sai Tamhankar, Mukesh Tiwari, Zoya Hussain, Mir Mohammed Mehroos, and Deepak Paramesh. In SCREEN’s review of Ground Zero, Shubhra Gupta wrote, “It’s tempting but not a good idea to extrapolate from films. But Ground Zero, which takes time to build an atmosphere of tension — stepping out to a market, even with your armed mates around you, can be your last day alive — is perhaps the much-needed kind of balance a film can achieve in these fraught times.”