The Vaccine War Battles to Find Audience: A Look at Its Box Office Woes

Vivek Agnihotri, the acclaimed director behind the record-breaking "The Kashmir Files," appears to be navigating a significantly different trajectory with his latest offering, "The Vaccine War." Despite the high expectations often associated with his projects, this scientific drama is grappling with a severe lack of traction at the box office, signaling a challenging run ahead.

Early box office reports paint a stark picture: by its sixth day in cinemas, "The Vaccine War" has accumulated a modest Rs 6.10 crore.

While this figure represents its cumulative earnings, the film has struggled significantly with its daily collections, frequently failing to breach the crucial Rs 1 crore mark on several days. This performance is notably low for a film directed by a filmmaker of Agnihotri's recent stature, especially given the significant discourse and anticipation that typically surround his releases.

The film's daily collections have remained consistently sluggish since its release, indicating a failure to resonate with a broad audience or generate sufficient word-of-mouth to draw viewers into theatres.

Industry analysts are closely observing this trend, as a failure to pick up pace in the opening week often spells an abbreviated theatrical run.

Detailed reports reveal the film's trajectory: it opened with a mere Rs 0.85 crore on its first day (Thursday), followed by Rs 0.90 crore on Friday. A slight bump was observed over the weekend with Rs 1.5 crore on Saturday and Rs 1.6 crore on Sunday.

However, the momentum swiftly declined during weekdays, collecting Rs 0.75 crore on Monday and an estimated Rs 0.50 crore on Tuesday, bringing its total to the aforementioned Rs 6.10 crore by the end of its sixth day. The consistent dip during weekdays underscores the film's struggle to maintain any significant box office momentum.

While "The Vaccine War" aimed to shed light on the arduous efforts of Indian scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic, its thematic depth seems not to have translated into commercial success.

The contrast with "The Kashmir Files," which became a cultural phenomenon, is stark and raises questions about audience preferences and the film's marketing strategy. For Vivek Agnihotri, this performance represents a significant hurdle, challenging the momentum built from his previous successes and prompting a re-evaluation of audience engagement strategies for future ventures.