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From Niu Lai to Main Vaapas Aaunga- 4 films that first flopped, but soon went on to become hits
The latest Chinese sensation, Niu Lai, has brought back in focus that the film business will always remain wildly unpredictable.
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There's no business like show business. Where fates change every Friday, the box office results throw up as much drama as the films themselves. And this year itself has witnessed two dramatic stories, where the films initially opened to a disastrous response. But then, something changed, and they were suddenly success stories. Here's a round-up of a few such films that were written off originally, but scripted a different story soon after:
Main Vaapas Aaunga
Imtiaz Ali's partition drama Main Vaapas Aaunga released on June 12 earlier this year, on a very slow note. It earned a little above ₹1 crore on its first day, and was almost written-off by the trade. But then, things shifted. There was suddenly a barrage of reels going viral on social media, people sharing that they were breaking down uncontrollably during the climax of the film. On top of that, Imtiaz himself started visiting cinema halls across the country, meeting the audiences and discussing the film casually. The tide turned, and the film eventually touched ₹100 crores worldwide.
Niu Lai
A 2026 Chinese animated film, made by just a mother-son duo, has left social media shocked. The film, ridiculed for its VFX and quality, released in 245 theatres on August 5, and the screen count dwindled to just four after a week. However, the amount of mockery about the film led to a sudden spike in audience curiosity and as a result, cinema admissions. Today, the film has emerged as a big hit, and it's collections stand at roughly a million dollars. A section of people is in fact praising it for being "an antidote" to AI-generated content.
12th Fail
Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed this 2023 film, based on the real-life story of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma and his struggle before he emerged successful. The film, starring Vikrant Massey and Medha Shankr, itself had a similar trajectory. It earned a crore at the box office on its first day. But the strong word of mouth led to a subsequent hike, with a lifetime run of ₹69 crores worldwide. It was made on a budget of ₹20 crores.
Jaya Janaki Nayaka
Imagine people not supporting your film in theatres when it releases originally- but then, nine years later, it ends up creating a record! This happened with actors Rakul Preet Singh-Bellamkonda Srinivas' Jaya Janaki Nayaka. It didn't perform upon its release in 2017, but today, it has become the first full-length feature film in history to cross 1 billion views on a single YouTube upload.
