Chup box office first weekend collection: Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol film makes ₹7 crore

Chup box office first weekend collection: R Balki's thriller about a serial killer murdering film critics has earned just over ₹7 crore in its first three days.

R Balki’s crime thriller Chup- Revenge of the Artist, has taken a strong start at the domestic box office. Initially buoyed by the reduced ticket prices on National Cinema Day, Chup did decent business on the weekend due to word of mouth and ended up earning over ₹7 crore nett in three days. For a film of this scale, it is a healthy number, though not a great one. However, with ticket prices once again reduced for Navratri during the weekdays, the film may get the much-needed push.

Sunny Deol in a still from Chup Revenge of the Artist.

Chup earned just over ₹3 crore on its opening day, the National Cinema Day, which was followed by a ₹2-crore Saturday. Its Sunday numbers were largely similar with only a marginal increase, taking the first weekend to ₹7.2 crore nett. The film has negligible overseas collections, which means its domestic run will determine its future. However, given that it has been made on a meagre ₹10-crore budget, it’s chances of recovery are quite high. Given that the big-budget Vikram Vedha releases next week, this week contains the best chance for the film to maximise its earnings.

Chup stars Sunny Deol, Dulquer Salmaan, and Shreya Dhanwanthary and follows a serial killer targeting film critics. The film has received mixed reviews from critics but the audiences seems to be appreciating the film, generating some positive word of mouth.

In a recent interview with Galatta Plus, director R Balki revealed that the idea for the film came to him after a critic trashed his 2009 film Cheeni Kum. “There is decency involved, there is writing involved, if you don’t like it there is a way to say it. But it was a vicious attack. I just felt, how can he get away, I thought we should bump them off,” the filmmaker said.