The Kannada film '45', starring veteran actors Upendra and Shivarajkumar, is facing a challenging run in theatres as its box office momentum slows down significantly. After a reasonably good opening, the film's daily collections have begun to drop steadily, indicating a loss of grip among the audience.
Sharp Decline in Daily Collections
The film, directed by Arjun Janya, managed to pull in an estimated Rs 12.3 crores in India net collections within its first five days. However, the following days painted a different picture. On the sixth day, the earnings plummeted to a mere Rs 60 lakhs, bringing the total six-day collection to approximately Rs 12.90 crores.
A closer look at the day-wise figures reveals a clear downward trend. According to data from the Sacnilk website, the film earned around Rs 2 crores on its fourth day. This was followed by a drastic fall the very next day, with day 5 collections dropping by more than half to Rs 85 lakhs. The slide continued on day 6, with earnings falling further to Rs 60 lakhs.
Low Occupancy Rates Across Showtimes
The dip in collections is directly reflected in the theatre occupancy numbers. On its last reported day, '45' recorded an overall Kannada occupancy of just 13.27%. The morning shows were particularly weak, with a poor 7.88% occupancy.
While afternoon shows saw a slight improvement at 15.14%, the evening and night shows remained modest at 15.19% and 14.88% respectively. Despite slightly better numbers in the later parts of the day, the overall turnout has been disappointingly low for a film featuring such prominent stars.
Audience Praise Contrasts Box Office Performance
Interestingly, the fading box office numbers stand in contrast to the largely positive reception from viewers who have seen the film. '45', which also features Raj B. Shetty, Rajendran, and Pooja Ramachandra, has been praised online for its bold narrative and performances.
One audience review highlighted, "It's a fantastic movie considering the topic taken to portray. Uppi, Shivanna, Shetru they have acted superbly. Arjun Janya's brave attempt needs to be applauded. No songs in the movie is a plus." Another viewer appreciated the thoughtful concept, stating, "'45' is a nice and thoughtful movie. The story revolves around the concept of life after death… Shivrajkumar's versatile performance stands out the most."
This disconnect between critical audience appreciation and declining commercial performance presents a complex picture for the film's future in cinemas. The coming days will be crucial to determine if word-of-mouth can reverse the current downward trend or if the film will continue to fade from theatres.
