The expected has happened. Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat has failed miserably. The historical opened poorly on 6th December and although collections picked up in the weekend, the increase was not impressive enough to make a difference to its ultimate fate at the turnstiles. Collections from Monday showed a marked decline.
The producers made the film at an approximate investment of Rs. 90 crore. After considering the recoveries from satellite, digital and audio rights, the film needed to net Rs. 100 crore from India theatrical sources. Looking to the film’s first weekend collections, it is anybody’s guess that the film will lose breath after its first week itself. The Arjun Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt starrer has managed to net only Rs. 17.75 crore in the first three days. It collected Rs. 4.15 crore on the opening day. Collections on Saturday were Rs. 5.75 crore. The increase in net collections on Sunday also wasn’t much as the day closed at Rs. 7.85 crore. Collections dropped markedly on Monday and given the present scenario and the negative word of mouth for the film, it doesn’t seem likely that its lifetime’s total will exceed Rs. 35 crore. Probably, it may stop at Rs. 30 crore only.
Obviously, therefore, the film will go down in Bollywood history as a debacle.