Pathaan Hit or Flop: Is Shah Rukh Khan-Deepika Padukone's Film a Mega Box Office Success or a Big Disaster? Here's the Truth!

Let me tell you some kadva sach. Pathaan is a disaster, alright. The movie is an outright money-loser, and it is going to end YRF's ambitious Spy Universe with a Big Bang. Aditya Chopra's beloved production company might have to shut shop and and the producer may need to live on the meagre income they earn through Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge's shows at Maratha Mandir. It is time for Shah Rukh Khan to say goodbye to the coastal view of Bandstand, take retirement and use his UAE Golden Visa to spend his retired life enjoying the coastal air of Palm Jumeirah Beach. Deepika Padukone should just dispose that gerua bikini of hers, before Ranveer tries to steal it from her wardrobe. Siddharth Anand should stop making action films and start making romcoms, maybe a sequel to Salaam Namaste with Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff. As for John Abraham, do check with Milap 'Mass' Zaveri if he has done writing the non-existent script of Satyameva Jayate 3 (or whichever number he is at, we have stopped counting). Yes, Pathaan is a disaster, alrite and don't f*ck at me saying otherwise. Pathaan Movie Review: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham's Film is a 'Seetimaar' Entertainer With a Paisa-Vasool Salman Khan Cameo!

Wait, you are still laughing at me? You think I have lost my mind or something? You are asking, didn't Pathaan, like, make a record-breaking Rs 57 crore in India on just its opening day (with a non-festival release) and a little more than Rs 100 crore gross worldwide? Aren't reports already pouring in - at the time of writing this sad story - that it has made Rs 70 crore on Day 2, which is a new record for a Hindi film?

Before SRK fans send boxes of Burnol to me through Amazon, let me clarify something first - if you found the first para of this unintelligible article amusing and absurd, then imagine me in your heads laughing my guts over the below tweet...

There are people on social media congratulating each other that Pathaan has been declared a 'flop'. By who, I don't know, but I do wish to know what food they served at the Pathaan 'flop' party. At the same time, trade experts are jubilant that Pathaan is breaking all kinds of box office records and doing massive business in India and overseas. Some are expecting the film to even breach the Rs 200 crore mark in India even before the opening weekend ends, while popular trade analyst and film critic Komal Nahta has gone ahead and predicted Pathaan will even cross KGF 2's earnings of Rs 445 crore. Bold prediction, indeed! Pathaan Day: Shah Rukh Khan Fans Across Nation Celebrate the Superstar's Return to the Big Screens (Watch Video).

So what is exactly the truth? Is Pathaan a flop as certain RW supporters like to be happy believing themselves this? Or is it all set to be a blockbuster? If you still haven't figured out the answer and want me to do some hard work - I hate you for that - then let me explore on this further.

Even though YRF, like most of Indian production companies, hasn't officially announced it, Pathaan is likely made on a budget of Rs 250 crore, per certain reports we saw online, which is kinda huge and not an easy investment to make profits on. Nowadays, trade experts consider theatrical revenue and sale of satellite and OTT rights when it comes to discussing a film's financial success. Pathaan: From Salman Khan's Tiger 3 to Hrithik Roshan's War, 7 Important Easter Eggs That Link Shah Rukh Khan's Spy Thriller to YRF Spy Universe.

I am no trade expert and I am also a bit old-school when it comes to declaring a film hit or a flop. And when I call myself 'old school', it means I consider theatrical revenue as a tool to decide if a film is a success or a failure, and it also means I do not call a film hit or a flop depending on its first day box office (unless the movie recovered the entire budget on its opening day, which is highly improbable).

But yes, I believe that the movie's performance on the opening day and in its advance sales make it easier to understand the trend of its financial growth at the box office. Here's where Pathaan earned its victory.

Even before its release, Pathaan has been breaking records with ticket sales, beating KGF 2 and performing on par with Baahubali 2. The opening day collection of Pathaan at Rs 57 crore is already the highest for a Hindi film, beating once again KGF 2's Hindi version with Rs 53.95 crore.

But then some of you might ask, when Thugs of Hindostan came out on November 8, 2018, it was the highest day opener then (with Rs 52.25 crore) but we know what happened to the film. So what's the big deal?

However, that case is different. The initials for TOH were due to the hype around the movie, Aamir Khan's star-power and the genre of the film. But when the reviews and WOM were against Thugs..., the film's business suffered and it ended up 'only' making Rs 151.19 crore in India. Pathaan: Not Just Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan's Actioner Also Has a Huge Aamir Khan Connection - Here's How!

That's not the case with Pathaan. Most of the reviews are positive and so is the audience response. All the trade analysts, from Taran Adarsh to Komal Nahta to Sumit Kadel, are extremely positive about the film's biz and they themselves can't believe the kind of moolah Pathaan has been raising in two days. As per reports, Pathaan has already grossed more than Rs 200 crore in two days globally, and by the end of this weekend, it would have easily made much over its purported budget just seeing the business trend.

Taran Adarsh

Komal Nahta

Sumit Kadel

Himesh Mankad

Even considering the India collections, in two days, Pathaan has earned about Rs 127 crore nett. By that amount, it has already crossed the lifetime collections of SRK's past few releases since Dilwale, save for Raees (Rs 137.51 crore). In contrast, FAN, Jab Harry Met Sejal and Zero made Rs 84.10 crore, Rs 64.33 crore and Rs 90.28 crore respectively, and no one denies they are box office disappointments. Pathaan, on the other hand, is heading towards being an all time blockbuster. Pathaan Fact Check: Old Public Opinion Videos of Zero and Jab Harry Met Sejal Go Viral As Fake FDFS Reviews for Shah Rukh Khan’s New Film.

Even if you are not someone who believes in numbers and think SRK and YRF paid everyone to fabricate numbers and sing praises for Pathaan - I wonder if that's the case why they didn't pull such a strategy for Zero and Shamshera -  then the audience response in theatres might sway your opinion. As shown in the Twitter thread below...

Still, if you are in the camp who believes that Pathaan is an outright disaster, want to put your trust in the false propaganda spread by certain news channels with malicious agenda against Khans and Bollywood, like this channel below...

... if you are one who think a few screens that aren't going full is enough 'proof' that the film isn't working (which means you have no clue how multiplexes work), then it is your choice.

You have the right to believe Pathaan is a 'flop', just like you may believe 'Facts are not facts', are sure that peacocks have sex by drinking each other's tears and are hoping one day a certain man will deposit some lakhs of rupees in your bank account. You have all the rights to seek pleasure in your fallacies, while the rest of the industry celebrates the success of Pathaan and Shah Rukh Khan's successful comeback as a box office Badshah in our joyous ways! Jhoome Jo Pathaan... Meri Jaan... 

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2023 04:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).