When an event film fails at the box office, it’s natural for the industry to try and make sense of it. Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff’s Eid release, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, failed to live up to high expectations, crashing after a lukewarm opening and sealing its fate as one of the biggest recent disasters of Hindi cinema. A Film Companion report trying to analyse what went wrong with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan suggests that poor marketing, dull writing, and high production costs could be the possible reasons.
The report quoted a source as saying that the “problem” with Indian films is that they are “front-loaded” with actor fees, and added that the movie’s lead star Akshay Kumar charged a whopping Rs 165 crore for the film. Reportedly, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan cost over Rs 350 cr to mount. The film’s one-week domestic collections stand at Rs 50 crore.
“Considering the huge budget on which it has been made, this film has proven to be a heavy loss for distributors and producers,” trade critic Komal Nahta was quoted as saying. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, on paper, was packaged like a movie that would guarantee a decent opening. It’s directed by proven hit-maker Ali Abbas Zafar, who is best known for Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. But while previous Eid releases would typically make around Rs 30 crore on the holiday, BMCM made half that amount.
Akshay Kumar- Tiger Shroff in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. (Photo: PR Handout)
The film opened at Rs 15 cr on Eid. To put things in context, even a disappointing Salman Khan film like Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, after a start of Rs 13.5 cr last year, made a solid Rs 25.75 cr on the Eid holiday, which was the film’s second day of release. Despite the negative reviews and audience feedback, the film not only saw a jump on Eid but also retained it’s momentum on day three, Sunday, when it minted Rs 26 cr. The film finished its run at Rs 110 cr.
“Eid has largely been a Khan holiday. To take out Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff on Eid made no sense from a release perspective. There is sort of a mismatch,” the report quoted a source as saying. Film exhibitor Akshay Rathi theorised that the film’s teaser was released too early for audiences to care. He also questioned the strategy of securing ‘paid reviews’ from ‘samosa critics’. Another person said that Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’s failure has altered how the industry operates, with the focus returning to writing.
Both Akshay and Tiger have been experiencing a slump in recent years. With no big films lined up for release till May, and the other Eid release Maidaan also falling flat, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan would continue to trend at lower levels at the box office, but the chances of it recovering its budget theatrically look bleak.
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