Main Vaapas Aaunga box office Day 1: Imtiaz Ali’s lowest opener yet, earns Rs 1.15 cr

In comparison to Imtiaz Ali’s previous theatrical releases, the opening is significantly lower. His last release, Love Aaj Kal (starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan) opened to around Rs 12.4 crore, while Jab Harry Met Sejal, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma, opened at Rs 15.25 crore. The film also trails other major Imtiaz Ali titles such as Tamasha (Rs 10.95 crore), Highway (Rs 3.4 crore) and Rockstar (Rs 10.6 crore).

Also Read | Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga chronicles a country in danger of forgetting itself

When compared to Diljit Dosanjh’s last theatrical release Border 2, which opened at Rs 30 crore, Main Vaapas Aaunga falls far behind. Sharvari’s last outing Vedaa opened at Rs 6.3 crore, while Vedang Raina’s Jigra collected Rs 4.55 crore on Day 1, both higher than this film’s debut. Among recent romantic releases, the film also underperforms titles like Chand Mera Dil (Rs 3 crore) and Do Deewane Seher Mein (Rs 1.25 crore), while matching closely with Ek Din, which opened at Rs 1.15 crore.

The film also faces competition from other releases this week, including Governor and Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, and it remains to be seen how it performs over the weekend.