'Mirai' thrashes 'Love in Vietnam', 'Heer Express', 'Mannu Kya? Karegga' & 'Ek Chatur Naar' at the box office

Karthik Ghattamaneni’s action fantasy Mirai, starring Teja Sajja, Manchu Manoj and Ritika Nayak, has posted impressive numbers in its first three days. The film drew strong crowds since Friday and closed its opening weekend on a high.

According to Sacnilk’s latest figures, Mirai earned Rs 17.33 crore on Sunday, outpacing its Saturday haul of Rs 15 crore and Friday’s Rs 13 crore. With this, the film has achieved Rs 45.33 crore across its first weekend, proving its steady upward trend.

Growth on Sunday Signals Strong Word of Mouth

Sunday’s earnings were not only higher than Saturday but also marked the film’s biggest day so far. Mirai clocked a Hindi occupancy of 31.38% on its third day, showing that it is connecting with audiences beyond its core regions. The film has even surpassed Teja Sajja’s earlier release HanuMan, which collected Rs 16 crore on its third day back in 2023.

This performance indicates that Mirai may sustain momentum through the week and could continue its strong box office run if weekday figures remain steady.

Hindi Films Face a Testing Weekend

While Mirai is thriving, the weekend wasn’t kind to new Hindi releases. Several titles entered theatres but struggled to find audiences, reflecting a wide gap between big event releases and smaller films.

Vyom Yadav and Sachi Bindra’s Mannu Kya Karega fell flat from the start. Across three days, the film could only collect Rs 97 lakh, cementing its position as a box office disappointment. Despite attempts to appeal to young viewers, the film failed to bring in significant footfall.

Ek Chatur Naar Shows Mild Weekend Rise

Divya Khosla and Neil Nitin Mukesh starrer Ek Chatur Naar managed to show some improvement after its low Friday start, but the rise was limited. The comedy thriller opened with Rs 60 lakh on day one, followed by Rs 80 lakh on Saturday and Rs 78 lakh on Sunday. This brought its three-day total to Rs 2.18 crore.

However, with a budget of Rs 25 crore, the film faces an uphill task to recover its costs. The small weekend gains suggest only marginal interest among audiences, which may not be enough for long-term success.

Smaller Releases Struggle to Leave a Mark

Other films, including Heer Express and Love In Vietnam, saw negligible collections. Heer Express made Rs 50 lakh on Friday, dipped to Rs 32 lakh on Saturday, and picked up slightly to Rs 58 lakh on Sunday, ending the weekend with Rs 1.4 crore.

Meanwhile, Love In Vietnam failed to generate any traction. It collected only Rs 5 lakh each day across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a total of Rs 15 lakh. Such low earnings place it in the bracket of outright washouts.

Regional Films Continues to Set the Place

The contrasting results highlight the current market dynamics. Regional cinema, especially Telugu releases like Mirai, continues to attract crowds with scale and spectacle, while many Hindi titles are struggling to command audience attention.

With Mirai already outperforming expectations and recording higher third-day numbers than past successes like HanuMan, it appears poised for a strong lifetime run if it sustains weekday collections. In contrast, the smaller Hindi releases may find it difficult to extend beyond their opening weekends.

Outlook for the Coming Weeks

As Mirai enters its first weekday run, industry watchers will closely track whether the momentum carries forward. Sustained weekday earnings could push it toward becoming one of the stronger performers of the year.

For films like Ek Chatur Naar and Mannu Kya Karega, the immediate challenge lies in holding onto limited screens and attempting to recover part of their investment. With more big titles expected in the coming weeks, competition will only get tougher.

Have you seen any of the films this past weekend or are you planning to at the soonest? Let us know in the comments below.