Samrat Prithviraj, the big-budget period epic starring Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chhillar has witnessed a big slump in business post its release. According to a Bollywood Hungama report, Samrat Prithviraj’s morning shows are being cancelled due to low attendance. Those shows that haven’t been cancelled are seeing footfall only in single-digits.Directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Samrat Prithviraj opened to Rs 10.70 crore on Friday, and jumped to Rs. 12.60 crore on Saturday. On Sunday, the film made Rs. 16.10 crore, taking the total weekend collections to Rs 39.40 crore, which paled in comparison to the Rs 55 crore that Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 made in its first weekend last month.
Bollywood Hungama quoted sources as saying that the film didn’t attract crowds in Mumbai, but nobody expected shows to be cancelled because of zero ticket sales in the mornings. Samrat Prithviraj is expected to have made in the vicinity of Rs 4 and Rs 4.25 crore on Tuesday. Another source said that the film is performing marginally better in Delhi and Hindi markets, but due to its massively wide release–Prithviraj was playing in nearly 5000 screens worldwide–a drop was to be expected during the weekdays. The film, made at a reported budget of Rs 200 crore, needs to recoup its cost. This is panning out to be Akshay’s second box office dud in a row, following Bachchhan Paandey, which was released in the wake of The Kashmir Files’ blockbuster run.