By: Amit KumaR Agarwal
Ever-since the trailer of Samrat Prithviraj released, cynics declared the film would flop. The tirade continued even a week after the film's release. So, is Samrat Prithviraj a success or a flop.
First of all, what are the media-outlets reporting that Samrat Prithviraj is a flop. Exactly the same media that said The Kashmir Files is a propaganda film. The success of the film is because of political patronage. If that is the case, why aren't they complaining about political patronage for Samrat Prithviraj. A reason could be because Samrat Prithviraj's business in nowhere near The Kashmir Files.
Leading media are carrying news-articles about cancelled shows; but why single out Samrat Prithviraj, there are cancelled shows for the biggest of films. In fact, the new Hindi release that followed Samrat Prithviraj had two consecutive shows cancelled at a multiplex in Delhi-NCR. South films - Vikram and Major had cancelled shows! Is the reporting by the leading daily influenced? And this is the recent past, earlier shows of hit films like RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi stood cancelled!
The fact is there are two sides to each story. Samrat Prithivraj did much better than what looked after the theatrical trailer, that the film will be a washout - it packed in an above-average weekend number of 40.5 crores, but the weekdays were below average, giving the first week, a below-average 57 crores with a worldwide total of 80 crores. The film will cross 100 crores in two weeks.
The flip-side is, a lot was expected from the film, as period dramas by S.S. Rajamauli and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have done 250crores plus business worldwide. Here, comes the reason for Samrat Prithviraj doing below average business, the direction of the film, that doesn't quite leave an impact.
Post-pandemic, it has already earned more money at the box-office than the life-time earnings of films starring other superstars. The trade-experts say that the film is a plus given the non-theatrical
avenues unlike a majority of the films released post-pandemic, including YRF's own Bunty Aur Babi 2 and Jayeshbhai Jordaar.
In the end Samrat Prithivraj is a bitter-sweet below-average success story, better than what was projected after the first theatrical trailer, dull from what the expectations from the first-weekend gave. The silver-lining being, everyone earned, even the exhibitors that gave MG's with their MG's recovered.