Vvaan collects Rs 33.25 crore in India over opening weekend
Deepak Kumar Mishra's action adventure fantasy The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, starring Sidharth Malhotra, earned Rs 33.25 crore net and Rs 39.65 crore gross in India over three days, and Rs 43.15 crore worldwide. It took Rs 8 crore on day one, Rs 11.25 crore on day two and Rs 14 crore on Sunday from 7135 screens. Overseas earnings stand at Rs 3.50 crore, as per Sacnilk. Despite negative reviews, it is Malhotra's third biggest opening weekend and his largest in 11 years.
Source
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Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- Vvaan earned Rs 39.65 crore gross and Rs 33.25 crore net in India, and Rs 43.15 crore worldwide — Figures appear in source; overseas data attributed to Sacnilk, gross/net split not separately sourced.
- Day-wise India collections: Rs 8 crore (day 1), Rs 11.25 crore (day 2), Rs 14 crore (day 3) — Figures appear in source with screen counts; internally consistent, summing to the stated Rs 33.25 crore weekend.
- It is Sidharth Malhotra's third highest opening weekend, behind Brothers (Rs 52 crore) and Ek Villain (Rs 50.65 crore) — Comparative claim internally consistent with the older figures listed in the source; no external trade source cited.
- Drishyam 3 releases in cinemas on Friday, October 2 — Stated in source without attribution; day-date pairing should be verified against the release calendar before publishing.
- More than 90% of the film's global earnings come from India — Consistent with the Rs 43.15 crore worldwide and Rs 3.50 crore overseas figures given in the source.
Analysts’ view opinion
'The Vvaan' earning Rs 33.25 crore net in India in three days despite hostile reviews — and growing day on day — is a reminder that cultural affinity can outrank critical verdicts at the Indian box office. The folk-horror framing built around Chhath Puja rituals has clearly found a stronghold in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which is why more than 90% of the Rs 43.15 crore worldwide total comes from home. For Sidharth Malhotra, delivering his biggest opening weekend in 11 years offers some relief against growing doubts about his market pull.
- Rs 8 crore on day one, Rs 11.25 crore on day two and Rs 14 crore on Sunday — an upward weekend curve suggests word of mouth outpaced the reviews.
- A release across 7135 screens is a wide-saturation play, and in such cases the weekday hold, not the weekend, is the real test.
- Rs 33.25 crore net and Rs 39.65 crore gross in India against just Rs 3.50 crore overseas underlines how regionally and culturally rooted this premise is.
- It is Sidharth's third biggest opening weekend after 'Brothers' and 'Ek Villain', and it has cleared the openings of recent titles like 'Param Sundari' and 'Yodha'.
- Co-produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and The Viral Fever, the film is a test case for content built on local ritual and folklore rather than pure star wattage.
What to watch — Watch the four remaining working days before 'Drishyam 3' arrives on October 2 — that hold will decide whether this opening converts into a genuinely profitable run.
The story does not establish the film's budget, production cost or non-theatrical rights value, so profitability cannot be judged yet, and the collection figures are trade estimates.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 7 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest, an action adventure fantasy directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and starring Sidharth Malhotra, opened in Indian cinemas and drew largely negative reviews from critics. Despite this, trade tracker Sacnilk figures show it posted a growing three-day weekend, giving Malhotra his best opening weekend in 11 years. The film is a folk horror built around rituals associated with Chhath Puja, co-produced by Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures and Arunabh Kumar's The Viral Fever, and also stars Tamannaah and Sunil Grover. Its run now faces the arrival of Drishyam 3 later in the week.
Key facts
- Vvaan earned Rs 33.25 crore net and Rs 39.65 crore gross in India over its opening three days, and Rs 43.15 crore worldwide.
- Day 1 collection was Rs 8 crore from 6746 screens; day 2 Rs 11.25 crore from 6887 screens; day 3 (Sunday) Rs 14 crore from 7135 screens.
- Sunday's Rs 14 crore was a 24.4% growth over Saturday's Rs 11.25 crore.
- Overseas earnings totalled Rs 3.50 crore, including Rs 1.25 crore on Sunday, meaning over 90% of the Rs 43.15 crore global total came from India.
- The film held strongest in centres of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, consistent with its Chhath Puja ritual theme.
- The Rs 33.25 crore weekend surpassed Malhotra's debut Student of the Year (2012, Rs 30 crore) to become his third biggest opening weekend.
- Malhotra's biggest opening weekends remain Brothers (2015, Rs 52 crore) and Ek Villain (2014, Rs 50.65 crore).
- Vvaan's weekend already exceeds the lifetime domestic earnings of Jabariya Jodi (Rs 25.24 crore) and Aiyaary (Rs 30.59 crore), and is nearing A Gentleman's Rs 38.33 crore lifetime.
Timeline
- 2012Sidharth Malhotra debuts in Karan Johar's Student of the Year, which opened to Rs 30 crore.
- 2014Mohit Suri's Ek Villain records a Rs 50.65 crore opening weekend.
- 2015Karan Malhotra's Brothers posts Malhotra's biggest opening weekend, Rs 52 crore.
- Day 1 of releaseVvaan collects Rs 8 crore from 6746 screens.
- Day 2 (Saturday)Collection rises to Rs 11.25 crore from 6887 screens.
- Day 3 (Sunday)Collection grows 24.4% to Rs 14 crore from 7135 screens; overseas total reaches Rs 3.50 crore.
- Friday, October 2Abhishek Pathak's Drishyam 3, starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu, releases in cinemas as fresh competition.
Who has a stake
- Sidharth Malhotra — The film's weekend improves his questioned box office appeal, delivering his third biggest and best opening weekend in 11 years.
- Balaji Motion Pictures (Ekta Kapoor) and The Viral Fever (Arunabh Kumar) — Co-producers whose recovery depends on the film's continuing domestic run.
- Deepak Kumar Mishra, director — Critical panning versus commercial performance shapes his standing.
- Exhibitors and single screens in UP and Bihar — Screen count grew from 6746 to 7135; the film's regional stronghold drives footfalls.
- Holdover releases Hanuman Ansh and Mirzapur: The Movie — Competing for the same screens and audiences during the weekend.
- Drishyam 3 team (Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Abhishek Pathak) — Its October 2 release will squeeze Vvaan's screens after four more days.
Why it matters
The weekend shows that regionally rooted content, here a folk horror centred on Chhath Puja rituals, can outperform critical verdicts when it connects with audiences in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. With more than 90% of global earnings coming from India, it also underlines how the domestic heartland, rather than overseas markets, is increasingly the deciding factor for mid-budget Hindi films.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- The Vvaan: Force of the Forrest is directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra and stars Sidharth Malhotra, Tamannaah and Sunil Grover.
- Co-producers: Balaji Motion Pictures (Ekta Kapoor) and The Viral Fever (Arunabh Kumar).
- Opening weekend figures as per Sacnilk: Rs 33.25 crore net India, Rs 39.65 crore gross India, Rs 43.15 crore worldwide.
- Sidharth Malhotra's top opening weekends: Brothers (2015) Rs 52 crore, Ek Villain (2014) Rs 50.65 crore, Vvaan Rs 33.25 crore.
- Drishyam 3, directed by Abhishek Pathak with Ajay Devgn and Tabu, releases on Friday, October 2.
- Vvaan is a folk horror built around rituals associated with Chhath Puja, strongest in UP and Bihar.
Mains framing
Vvaan's opening weekend illustrates the widening gap between critical reception and commercial outcomes in Hindi cinema. Panned by reviewers, the film still grew day on day, from Rs 8 crore to Rs 11.25 crore to Rs 14 crore, expanding from 6746 to 7135 screens, and finished with Rs 33.25 crore net in India. The causes lie in cultural specificity and distribution: a folk horror anchored in Chhath Puja rituals found a stronghold in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while overseas markets contributed just Rs 3.50 crore, under 10% of the Rs 43.15 crore global total. The implications are twofold: star value is being redefined by content that speaks to regional faith and festival traditions rather than metro or diaspora tastes, and a single strong weekend can reset a star's trajectory, as Vvaan already exceeds the lifetime domestic totals of Jabariya Jodi and Aiyaary. The way forward, on the evidence of the source, is sustaining the run over the four remaining days before Drishyam 3 arrives on October 2, since screen retention and word of mouth in heartland centres, not critical endorsement, will determine whether the film crosses A Gentleman's Rs 38.33 crore lifetime mark.
Key terms
- Net versus gross collection
- Gross is total ticket revenue (Rs 39.65 crore in India here); net is the amount after taxes (Rs 33.25 crore).
- Opening weekend
- First three days of a film's theatrical run, a key trade benchmark; Vvaan's stood at Rs 33.25 crore domestically.
- Sacnilk
- Trade tracking platform cited as the source of Vvaan's day-wise domestic and overseas box office figures.
- Holdover release
- A film already running in theatres that competes with a new release, here Hanuman Ansh and Mirzapur: The Movie.
- Folk horror
- Horror rooted in local rituals and traditions; Vvaan builds its story around rituals associated with Chhath Puja.
- Chhath Puja
- Festival observed prominently in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh whose rituals form the narrative core of Vvaan.
Practice questions
- Vvaan drew negative reviews yet posted Sidharth Malhotra's biggest opening weekend in 11 years. What does this divergence reveal about the influence of film criticism on Indian box office outcomes?
- More than 90% of Vvaan's worldwide earnings came from India, with strongholds in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Discuss how culturally rooted storytelling is reshaping the economics of Hindi cinema.
- Examine how release calendars and screen allocation, such as Vvaan's four-day window before Drishyam 3 on October 2, shape a film's commercial fate.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.