Why Did Ajay Devgn’s ‘Maidaan’ Fail at the Box Office Despite Positive Reviews? | Exclusive

Ajay Devgn’s ‘Maidaan’, which opened in theatres on April 11, has failed to live up to expectations at the box office despite receiving positive reviews. The sports drama, shot on a budget of Rs 250 crore, collected nearly Rs 40 crore globally and failed to capitalise on that that it was released on Eid. Fans had high expectations from the film as it had a distinct Chak De! India vibe and patriotic undertones. Sadly, this counted for nothing. So what went wrong? Here is a look at the reasons behind the poor response to ‘Maidaan’.

The Genre Was An Issue

‘Maidaan’ has underperformed at the box office despite the favourable word of mouth. According to trade tracker Ramesh Bala, the sports drama failed to woo the audience because it lacked mass elements.

“During Eid, the audience usually prefers action movies with big stars. Sports movies, even if they are good, cater to a niche audience rather than those in smaller B and C centres. In India, cricket is largely still more popular than football. The events of Maidaan took place in the 50s and 60s. So there is not much reason to be compelled to watch it in theatres,” he told News X

He added that a section of the audience these days prefers watching IPL at home rather than going to theatres for movies.

Clash With ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’

‘Maidaan’ clashed at the box office with ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ and failed to hold its own against the action-comedy. Ajay Devgn’s film collected merely Rs 7 crore in India on the first day while the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed biggie made nearly Rs 16 crore. ‘Maidaan’ eventually picked up after a slow start but the damage was done.

ALSO READ | ‘Maidaan’ Review: Ajay Devgn Powers Commendable Yet Middling Sports Drama

“The other film also affected Maidaan to some extent even though it too hasn’t done too well at the box office,” said Ramesh.

He added ‘Maidaan’ also suffered because of audience fatigue as it came mere weeks after Ajay Devgn’s well-received horror thriller ‘Shaitaan’.

The Promotions Failed To Make A Solid Impact

Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi, however, has a different take on Maidaan’s underwhelming performance. He feels that numerous delays and a tepid promotional campaign are responsible for the film’s downfall.

“This can be attributed to the marketing of the film, which could not generate enough curiosity among moviegoers to watch it first day first show. It was also delayed so many times that a lot of people didn’t even know it was releasing on Eid.” he told News X.

In case you didn’t know, ‘Maidaan’ was announced in 2019 amid fanfare. The makers initially wanted to release it on June 3, 2022, but that didn’t happen. The team then targeted a June 2023 release but failed to meet it. It finally premiered in theatres on April 11.

What’s ‘Maidaan’ About?

‘Maidaan’ is a sports drama that centres on the life of SA Rahim, one of the pioneers of Indian football. The film stars Priyamani as the reading lady and marks her first collaboration with the Singham actor. The cast includes Gajraj Rao, Rudranil Ghosh, and Madhur Mittal, The film is directed by Amit Sharma, best known for his work on Badhaai Ho (2018).

‘Maidaan’ was released in theatres on April 11.