‘Vedaa’ Box Office Verdict – Hit or Flop: John Abraham-Sharvari Wagh’s Movie is a Washout in Theatres – Find Out How Much Loss It Incurred!

Nikkhil Advani's Vedaa was one of three Hindi films released on August 15, 2024, aiming to capitalise on the extended opening weekend that included the public holidays of Independence Day and Rakshabandhan. The revenge thriller, set against the backdrop of caste politics in rural India, stars John Abraham and Sharvari Wagh in the lead roles, with Abhishek Banerjee, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kumud Mishra, and Danish Hussain forming the supporting cast. Tamannaah Bhatia makes a cameo appearance in Vedaa as the male protagonist's deceased wife. ‘Vedaa’ Movie Review: John Abraham and Sharvari Wagh’s Gritty Action-Drama Is Let Down by an Abysmal Second Half!

Vedaa faced stiff competition from Mudassar Aziz's comedy Khel Khel Mein and Amar Kaushik's horror-comedy Stree 2. It was a misstep. While it was widely anticipated that Stree 2 would dominate the box office, Vedaa initially outperformed Khel Khel Mein. However, by the end of the second weekend, Khel Khel Mein had overtaken Vedaa, though both films proved to be disappointments at the box office.

So, how significant is Vedaa's financial failure? To answer that, we need to look at the film's budget.

The Budget of 'Vedaa'

There is no official confirmation, but reports suggest that Vedaa was made on a budget of INR 60 crore, which is reasonable and could have allowed the makers to recoup their costs with ease.

Watch the Trailer of 'Vedaa':

However, by its second weekend, Vedaa had only earned INR 17.20 crore in India. Overseas, the film didn’t fare much better, with its worldwide gross reaching just INR 23.08 crore. Even as Khel Khel Mein showed slight improvement, earning INR 24.71 crore by its second weekend, Vedaa seems like a lost cause at the time of writing. ‘Khel Khel Mein’ Box Office Verdict – Hit or Flop: Akshay Kumar’s Comedy Movie Crumbles in the Face of a Mighty ‘Stree 2’ – Find Out How Much Loss It Incurred!

(Box Office Figures Sourced From Bollywood Hungama)

3 Reasons Why 'Vedaa' Failed at the Box Office

What went wrong for Vedaa, and why did it fail to attract audiences? Several factors contributed to its underperformance, the first being the most obvious.

1. Poor Release Date Choice

John Abraham often releases his films on patriotic holidays, but he and Advani should have realised that releasing Vedaa on the same day as Stree 2 was tantamount to box office suicide. To make matters worse, it also went up against another comedy, Khel Khel Mein. Although Vedaa’s trailer generated some buzz, it wasn’t enough to compete with a horror-comedy franchise that already had a strong following.

2. Drama Against Comedies

With its gritty subject matter of caste-based mistreatment, Vedaa stood apart from its box office competitors. However, during a festive period when audiences prefer light-hearted entertainment, Vedaa’s serious tone made it an outlier. Good reviews and positive word-of-mouth could have saved the film, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

3. Bad Reviews Killed Any Remaining Buzz

The trailers promised a gut-wrenching drama about caste discrimination, with realistic action. However, the film had other ideas. While the first half of Vedaa was bearable, exploring caste discrimination and malpractice, the second half, which ventured into the ‘action’ genre, suffered from poor writing, direction, and editing choices. Negative reviews, combined with lacklustre audience feedback, further diminished any hope of attracting more viewers.

(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 Aug 27, 2024 05:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).