Kabir Khan blames 83's failure on pandemic

The level of insecurity is just... *mind blowing* 🤯 🤯🤯

Filmmaker Kabir Khan called 83 "a victim of the pandemic" and said it has put up the numbers despite battling Covid-19 restrictions

In an interview with PTI, Kabir Khan called the film “a victim of the pandemic” and said 83 has put up the numbers despite battling Covid-19 restrictions, 50 per cent theatrical occupancy in key states and the complete closure of cinema halls in Delhi and Haryana.

“I feel exhilarated to have created this film which has received so much love but at the same time there is a disappointment that not everybody who wants to watch it can see it today because the pandemic is there with historic numbers. We nurtured the film for two years, waited for the correct time so that everybody gets to see it on the big screen.

“But with this pandemic, despite our best planning, one can never get it right. We did not know that the explosion (of cases) would literally take place on the day of our release. December 24 is when we (the country) hit 6,000 cases and in 10 days we crossed a lakh. It was just sad,” Khan said.

“So many people loved the film, so naturally one has to question what went wrong and what went wrong is the pandemic. There was no chance to fight back. The pandemic is not just about theatres shutting down but also this psyche… The mindset (of stepping out) can change overnight.”

While the audience reception to the film was overwhelmingly positive, Kabir Khan feels there was an “agenda” with which the trade reported figures of 83, by completely eliminating the impact of the pandemic.

“The film is a victim of the pandemic. How can you report the figures without the context, that there is a raging pandemic out there?” the 53-year-old filmmaker asked.

While 83 has underperformed at the box office, the trade has hailed Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa: The Rise as a bona fide blockbuster, with its Hindi version clocking more than Rs 74 crore at the box office.

The multilingual thriller opened a week before 83 and clashed with the Hollywood superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Kabir Khan said unlike Pushpa — which had collected Rs 26 crore from its Hindi version in the first week, when everything was functional — 83 didn’t even have the chance to enjoy a restriction-free run.

“Everyone now knows that December 26 is when it all came crashing down, when we realised we are in the middle of a third wave. What is the amount of money they (Pushpa) made before that and what is the amount of money they made after that? Of course, they kept continuing but at levels much lower than us.

“Where did we even have the chance to fight that? To constantly say that, ‘Oh but that one made money…’ Yes, but look at the relative ratios. If it did Rs 26 crore in the first week, they added another Rs 50 and we did another 100. The thing is when you report numbers and do not choose to mention the pandemic at all, does that not sound completely weird? It was an erroneous reporting which is unforgivable. It smells of agenda and bad professionalism.”

Khan said the entire team is proud of the film and is confident that it will eventually get its due.

“The film is here to stay, it won’t ever be forgotten. Ten years from now if my filmography is spoken about, 83 will always be on the top. That’s something which gives me solace in the times we are living through,” he added.

https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/kabir-khan-on-83-box-office-pandemic-hit-us-hard-ranveer-singh-7714542/

Oh please Spiderman and Pushpa with almost no pr and marketing in the north made great money.

Accept that your budget went overboard, the movie was good yes except for that whole Pakistan scene.

The movie could have done well based on wom with almost 50% of your budget.

It was not a mass movie and a metro multiplex movie so you had to cut your budget accordingly

After an opening week of 166 crore worldwide..Pushpa came crashing down at 32 crores. 83 trended very well . From 124 crore openin week, it did 50 crores in week 2.

Also with Covid restrictions from 24 th, 83 made 50 crores overseas in 2 weeks..and Pushpa did 33 crores in 3weeks!!3 weeks!

The official low opening numbers stunned even BOI..who posted an opening of 15.5cr!!!

Numbers don't lie

Originally posted by: you2

After an opening week of 166 crore worldwide..Pushpa came crashing down at 32 crores. 83 trended very well . From 124 crore openin week, it did 50 crores in week 2.

Also with Covid restrictions from 24 th, 83 made 50 crores overseas in 2 weeks..and Pushpa did 33 crores in 3weeks!!3 weeks!

The official low opening numbers stunned even BOI..who posted an opening of 15.5cr!!!

Numbers don't lie

South movies always collect the max in the first week. It was the same thing for Bahubali or any other movie.

It was in Hindi that almost no one knew the actors or directors, and it was a dubbed movie not even an original. Also no marketing efforts were made. That's why despite collecting 27 crore in the first week, it went on to make 50 crore more in the next two weeks. It is obvious that the film found appreciation and people were flocking theatres to watch this film, which was missing with 83.

Pushpa (Hindi)'s fourth weekend collections in India = 8 crore. 83's third weekend collections in India = 3.5 crore.

Imagine having such a big starcast, big director, big banner, original (language) film, great promotions, good reviews etc. and still audience choosing an unknown face, unknown director, dubbed language film, poor promotions, etc. This is a massive rejection and egg in the face moment for 83 in particular and Bollywood in general.

Overseas numbers are not considered for judging the box office verdicts of films. If they were, almost all of SRK's films in the last decade would be hits. But they were duds here.

Dil ko behlane ke liye yeh PR bhi accha hai.

83 makers properly rattled by Pushpa's success it seems. 🤣

Well this is true, 83 was badly effected by the pandemic, how else do you explain RRR, Jersey and Radhe Shyam postponing?

If the pandemic was no threat then those movies would not have postponed, RRR especially.

The week 83 released so many cities imposed night curfews, theatres started closing and many only allowed 50% occupancy. The number of covid cases surged and people were scared to go movie theatres.

If there was no pandemic 83 would have done much better, it has great reviews and word of mouth

the week pushpa released everything was open, and the covid cases had nothing surged at that time. 83 would have grew considerably with the positive word of mouth, but unfortunately the curfews and cinema shut downs got in the way

But even with all the restrictions imposed 83 still managed to make 100 crs at the domestic box office and it made a really good amount overseas

He is right 👍🏼

Well its definitely a huge factor. Pushpa and Spiderman did still better because they have more mass appeal. 83 is a more slower paced movie.

It would have done way better if there wasn't any pandemic