Vvaan box office collection: Sidharth Malhotra scores his biggest opening weekend since 2015

Despite a harsh critical reception, the Chhath Puja-rooted fantasy has grown each day at the box office and handed its lead actor a much-needed commercial boost.

Reviewers were almost unanimous in dismissing Deepak Kumar Mishra's Vvaan: Force of the Forrest. Ticket buyers disagreed. After three days in cinemas, the film has collected Rs 33.25 crore net in India, which makes it Sidharth Malhotra's strongest opening weekend since 2015 and the third biggest of his career.

Rising every day

The film opened modestly on Friday with Rs 8 crore from 6,746 screens. Saturday brought Rs 11.25 crore as the count grew to 6,887 screens. Sunday was the biggest day yet: Rs 14 crore across 7,135 screens, about 24% more than the day before. Daily totals that keep climbing through the weekend usually point to word-of-mouth working in a film's favour, and that is unusual for a title reviewers have written off.

India's gross stands at Rs 39.65 crore. Add Rs 3.50 crore from overseas markets, per Sacnilk, and the worldwide total reaches Rs 43.15 crore. More than nine-tenths of that comes from home. That reflects the film's roots in Chhath Puja traditions, which have made it especially strong in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

A turnaround for its star

For Malhotra, the numbers matter more than the reviews. His recent run has raised doubts about his pull at the box office. Param Sundari (Rs 26.75 crore), Yodha (Rs 16.85 crore) and Thank God (Rs 18.25 crore) all opened well below Vvaan, and so did Marjaavaan, Ittefaq, Baar Baar Dekho and Kapoor & Sons.

Only two of his films have opened bigger: Brothers (Rs 52 crore) and Ek Villain (Rs 50.65 crore). Vvaan has also overtaken the opening of his 2012 debut, Student of the Year (Rs 30 crore). In just three days, it has earned more than the entire domestic runs of Aiyaary (Rs 30.59 crore) and Jabariya Jodi (Rs 25.24 crore). Next in its sights is A Gentleman, whose lifetime total of Rs 38.33 crore looks likely to fall within days.

The real test starts Friday

The film did well against holdovers such as Hanuman Ansh and Mirzapur: The Movie. Its weekday run will be short, though. Drishyam 3, starring Ajay Devgn and Tabu, arrives on October 2. That gives Vvaan four days to build its total before it has to fight for screens.

Balaji Motion Pictures and The Viral Fever co-produced the film. Tamannaah and Sunil Grover are also in the cast.