Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 3 which earned ₹53 crore could have run better without coronavirus scare says director

• The film, that was released on Friday (March 6), has so far earned ₹53.8 crore.
  
• The footfalls were down at least 20-30% in metros especially Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
  
• Director Ahmed Khan is happy with whatever the film is earning however he believes the film would have raked in ₹30 crore on day one if the circumstances were normal.
  
  

The rising cases of coronavirus cases are taking its toll on movies and the latest victim is Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 3. The film that was released on Friday (March 6), earned ₹53.8 crore so far. Though, it became the biggest opener of 2020, raking ₹17.50 crore on day one, film director Ahmed Khan has expected the film to earn ‘much more’.

"Malls are not functioning, shops are not working, considering the situation, cinema is the last thing people want to go to. In such a scenario, the film has earned ₹17.5-₹18 crore and it is overwhelming. Even if we had made ₹7 to ₹8 crore then also it would have been good. It is the biggest opening of the year till now. We had expected much more but you can't fight almighty and nature," Khan told PTI.

Khan is happy with whatever the film is earning however he believes the film would have raked in ₹30 crore on day one if the circumstances were normal. The footfalls are down by at least 20-30% in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. He fears that Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi that is to release soon, might affect their collections too.

Baaghi 3 released in India on March 6, sees Tiger returning as Ronnie back in the third film of the successful franchise. In this installment, he goes to Syria and single handedly takes on ISIS to rescue his brother, played by Riteish Deshmukh.

In spite of opening the year with a spectacular hit like Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji, many films like Street Dancer 3D, Chappak had failed to bring audiences to theatres. Tanhaji which is still running weeks after its release in some Maharashtra centers, raked in ₹279.5 crore.

However, the situation is set to get worse as many events including film festivals, music concerts and sporting events matches have been either cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, the release of James Bond Film ‘No Time to Die’ was also shifted to November.

Most of the bollywood films have tanked this year with Ajay Devgn's "Tanhaji: the Unsung Warrior" as the only hit. It has collected ₹279.5 crore at the domestic box office till date.

(With agency inputs)

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