While Kartik Aaryan was the lead in films like Pyaar Ka Punchnama and its sequel, Kaanchi and Guest iin London, he was established as a star with the Rs 100 crore success of Luv Ranjan's Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. From thereon, there was no looking back for the young actor, whose subsequent releases continue to establish him as a bankable star. Last year, he delivered a blockbuster in Bhool Bhulaiya 2 and firmly placed himself as the next superstar. His new release, Shehzada, however, is gearing towards a different direction than what Kartik Aaryan and his fans might desire. Shehzada Movie Review: Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon's Remake of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo is a Joyless Facsimile.

The Hindi remake of the 2020 Telugu blockbuster Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde in the lead, released on February 17. This release date came after the movie was pushed a week ahead from its original date, which the makers claim was 'out of respect' for Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan that came out on January 25. Whether you believe that reason or not, it doesn't matter, but what matters that the new release date saw the film clash with a big Marvel film, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, and that's not a smart move. What's more YRF, the producers of Pathaan, celebrated 'Pathaan Day' on the very same date, bringing down ticket prices to Rs 110 at multiplexes and did decent business (they have even brought down ticket prices to Rs 200 over the weekend).

So what happened? Shehzada raked in Rs 6 crore on its opening day, which is low for a film starring Kartik, even after the producers did a 'Buy 1 Get 1' ticket offer.

 

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Why low? Well, Shehzada has Kartik Aaryan's lowest box office opening day collections since his star-making turn in Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Why, even his one flop since SKTKS - Love Aaj Kal - had better earnings than Shehzada (his second highest opening day collections in fact). Shehzada Box Office Day 1: Kartik Aaryan's Film Has a Lukewarm Start, Mints Rs 6 Crore On Its Opening Day.

Check out Kartik's previous First Day collections since SKTKS, from highest to the lowest:

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 - Rs 14.11 Crore (Release Date: May 20, 2022)

Love Aaj Kal - Rs 12 Crore (Release Date: February 14, 2020)

Pati Patni Aur Woh - Rs 9.10 Crore (Release Date: December 6, 2019)

Luka Chuppi - Rs 8.01 Crore (Release Date: March 1, 2019) - also stars Kartik's Shehzada co-star Kriti Sanon

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety - Rs 6.42 Crore (Release Date: February 23, 2018)

Shehzada - Rs 14.11 Crore (Release Date: February 17, 2023)

As you can see from above, Kartik's films had an increasing returns on the opening day at the box office from SKTKS, and now Shehzada broke that trend. Also to note that Pyaar ka Punchnama 2 had better opening day figures with Rs 6.80 crore. This makes Shehzada the actor's fifth lowest opener, after AkaashVani, Kaanchi…, Pyaar Ka Punchnama, and Guest Iin London. Shehzada Box Office: 5 Reasons Why Kartik Aaryan-Kriti Sanon's Film is Sending Us Warning Bells Ahead of Its February 17 Release.

However, this doesn't mean death knell for the film yet. Its Marvel competitor has been getting poor reviews so maybe after the first weekend, we can see a dip in its collections. Though Shehzada also doesn't fare well when it comes to reviews, but when has that affected a star like Kartik in the past? Or will it now?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 18, 2023 02:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).