An Action Hero box office day 1 collection: Ayushmann Khurrana off to a ‘very dull’ start

An Action Hero box office day 1 collection: Ayushmann Khurrana's latest thriller got positive reviews but they have not translated into traffic at ticket windows.

The early estimates are in for Ayushmann Khurrana's latest release, An Action Hero. The box office predictions suggest a slow start for the actor's latest thriller.

Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat in a still from the movie, An Action Hero.

As per a report in Box Office Worldwide, An Action Hero's early estimates suggest that the film will open somewhere around ₹1.35 crore. A report in KoiMoi predicted a similar figure. This is much similar to what Ayushmann's last two releases: Doctor G and Anek had collected on opening days.

A report in Box Office India stated that the morning collections were even less than Anek but trends might show progress towards the evening. While Anek did made just ₹1.77 crore on its first day, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui opened with ₹3.75 crore. Meanwhile, Doctor G has earned ₹3.87 cr on Friday. Clearly, Ayushmann's films are not getting the reception one would hope.

An Action Hero, also starring Jaideep Ahlawat, is helmed by debutant director Anirudh Iyer. Billed as slick actioner with an offbeat satirical sense of humour, the film follows an artist’s journey both in front and behind the lens. In the movie, Ayushmann plays Manav, an action hero on the run from Bhura Solanki (Jaideep), who wants to avenge the mysterious death of his brother.

Ayushmann told PTI in a recent interview that An Action Hero doesn't have any social message. "It's just pure thrill, entertainment,” he said. “We have reels and everything on the (Insta)gram, on phones. So, the competition for theatrical release is not just from OTT, it's from social media too.” Asked if any of his previous hits can lure people to cinema halls even today, the National Award winner said he would bet big on family entertainers.

"A film like Andhadhun, Badhaai Ho will definitely do those numbers. Even Bala to an extent because they are funny films. The humour along with emotions are wider films, they are all family films. People go out with their families in theatres. The restricting films may not work, they are great for OTT. You have to widen your audience and give that film to them," he added.