Director Amit Sharma's recently released sports drama Maidaan, based on the golden era of Indian football, saw a significant downtrend in its box office figures on the first working day post weekend. Featuring Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn in the lead role of Syed Abdul Rahim, the film that released last week to positive response from critics failed to capitalize on the goodwill.
As per reports from the box office tracking platform, Maidaan minted approximately Rs. 1.5 crores nett on its first Monday, marking a huge 76% fall from the collections of Rs. 6.4 crores recorded over the weekend. Despite receiving favourable reviews for its content and Devgn's performance, the biopic could not sustain the traction beyond the initial few days. Maidaan's 5 day total collection now stands at Rs. 23.5 crores in the domestic market.
Interestingly, even Devgn's recent flop releases like Thank God, Bholaa and Runway had managed better Monday numbers compared to Maidaan. This comes as a setback for the makers who were hoping for the film to show an upward trend owing to the positive word of mouth. However, it seems the engaging storyline and nostalgia for the golden era of Indian football was not enough to keep the audience hooked on the weekdays.
With strong competition from big ticket entertainers like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, it remains to be seen if Maidaan can leave a mark in the long run. Only positive reviews and recommendations may help it find success beyond the opening weekend. For now, the weak first Monday collection comes as a disappointment for all those involved in the Ajay Devgn starrer.
