Maalik Box Office Prediction: Rajkummar Rao's Massy Attempt Faces Lukewarm Opening

Rajkummar Rao’s latest outing, Maalik, a gritty action thriller directed by Pulkit, seems to have hit a stumbling block even before its theatrical debut gained momentum. Known for his critically acclaimed performances in small-town dramas, Rao takes a detour from his usual image in this film, portraying a ruthless gangster—a stark departure that was expected to draw attention at the box office.

Despite the film's genre and scale, the initial response has been far from promising. Advance bookings for Maalik began on Wednesday afternoon, barely 36 hours before its release. However, the numbers failed to reflect the buzz the makers may have anticipated. "Rajkummar Rao is going all massy with his new film, Maalik, which released in theatres this weekend. The film, directed by Pulkit, sees the actor as a ruthless gangster, in quite a break from his usual small-town boy image."

According to reports from the national cinema chains—PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis—only around 6,500 tickets were sold by Thursday evening. "The film was crawling at the ticket window. It sold only 6,500 tickets in the three national cinema chains—PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis. This is a rather low figure." Even with a marginal rise expected overnight, the advance numbers indicate a lackluster opening. "Even with some increase in sales overnight, the advance booking for Maalik remained dismal, not painting a pretty picture for the Rajkummar Rao film."

Trade analysts believe the slow pre-release buzz will impact the film’s day-one collection. "The low advance booking numbers mean that Maalik will not get the bumper mass opening that Rajkummar Rao may have been hoping for." Early estimates suggest an opening day collection of ₹3-4 crore, although more cautious forecasts peg the figure below ₹2 crore. "According to trade insiders, the film is looking at a ₹3-4 crore opening. And these are quite optimistic estimates. More conservative estimates put the film's domestic opening day haul at under ₹2 crore."

When compared to similar mid-budget action films, the gap is evident. Sunny Deol’s Jaat had opened to ₹9 crore, while even Rao’s previous film, the time-loop comedy Bhool Chuk Maaf, managed ₹7.2 crore on its first day. "Maalik may not even manage half of either film's box office."

Directed by Pulkit, Maalik features an ensemble cast that includes former Miss World Manushi Chhillar, Bengali cinema veteran Prosenjit Chatterjee, and seasoned actor Saurabh Shukla. The film marks Rajkummar Rao’s first step into the mass action genre. However, "trade insiders say that the film needs to cross ₹60-70 crore domestically to be a hit, a tall order if it does not take a strong start."

With the weekend ahead, Maalik will now rely heavily on word-of-mouth and single-screen traction to avoid becoming one of the more disappointing starts in Rajkummar Rao’s diverse career.