Sunday box office: Hanuman Ansh shatters record as Daayra, Vibe and Irumudi post mixed results
Sunday saw a mixed bag at the Indian box office, with low‑budget hits continuing to outshine some big‑budget releases. While Akshay Kumar’s Haavan and Saif Ali Khan’s Haavan have already opened, the focus this weekend was on the earnings of Daayra, Vibe, Hanuman Ansh, Mirzapur: The Movie and Irumudi.
Daayra struggles to gain momentum
Karina Kapoor’s Daayra, co‑starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, opened on 18 September. The film earned a modest ₹1.00 crore on its first day, followed by ₹1.75 crore on Saturday and the same amount on Sunday, taking its domestic net collection to roughly ₹4.50 crore.
Despite the star power, the film failed to generate strong word‑of‑mouth, and it faced stiff competition from the more aggressively marketed releases that dominated the weekend screens.
Vibe builds steady earnings
Kunal Khemu’s directorial venture Vibe also premiered on 18 September. The movie made ₹1.70 crore on day one, ₹2.75 crore on Saturday and ₹3.00 crore on Sunday, pushing its total net to about ₹7.45 crore across the opening three days.
The film’s ensemble cast, including Preeti Jinta, Sparsh Srivastav and Vanshika Dhir, attracted a niche audience, helping it maintain a steady rise despite limited promotional spend.
Hanuman Ansh breaks its own record
Released on 7 August, Hanuman Ansh was produced on a shoestring budget of ₹2 crore. After a quiet start of ₹0.10 crore on opening day, the film’s earnings accelerated dramatically: ₹0.0108 crore in the first week, ₹0.004 crore in the second, then ₹10.40 crore, ₹61.00 crore, ₹90.25 crore and ₹80.25 crore in the third to sixth weeks respectively. On its 45th day, the Sunday box‑office takings jumped to ₹13.75 crore, bringing the Indian net total to ₹271.88 crore and a worldwide gross of ₹329.30 crore.
The extraordinary performance highlights how a modest investment, combined with strong regional appeal and effective grassroots marketing, can turn a small‑budget film into a blockbuster both at home and abroad.
Mirzapur: The Movie holds strong
The cinematic adaptation of the popular series, Mirzapur: The Movie, opened on 4 September. It posted a robust ₹25.75 crore on day one and added ₹55.00 crore in its second week. On the 17th day, Sunday’s collection was ₹5.00 crore, taking the domestic net to ₹215.70 crore and a global gross of roughly ₹302.19 crore.
Fans of the original series turned out in large numbers, and the film’s blend of familiar characters with fresh faces helped sustain its momentum in a crowded release window.
Irumudi maintains a healthy pace
Ravi Teja’s Irumudi opened with a strong ₹15.30 crore. The film amassed ₹92.15 crore in its first week, ₹57.60 crore in the second, ₹24.70 crore in the third and ₹11.65 crore in the fourth week. On the 31st day, it earned an additional ₹1.52 crore, lifting its Indian net collection to ₹188.90 crore and worldwide gross to about ₹240.13 crore.
The movie’s regional flavour and action‑driven storyline resonated with audiences in the south, contributing to its consistent earnings across multiple weeks.
Overall trends
The weekend demonstrates that modestly‑budgeted films with strong word‑of‑mouth can generate impressive returns, often eclipsing the performance of higher‑budget projects. Hanuman Ansh in particular shows how a small investment can translate into a blockbuster, while Daayra and Vibe illustrate the challenges faced by mid‑range releases in a crowded market.
