The disappointing performance of Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa has not surprised industry insiders. Distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal told ETimes, “Stree 2 paid preview did a fantastic busiess of Rs 8.25 crore which was probably the highest in the recent times. And Stree 2 been a solo release this Independence day it would have shattered all box office records. The trade is carrying ordinary reports of Vedaa which collected around Rs 6.25 crore and Khel Khel Mein despite decent reports has done a business of Rs 5.25 crore.”
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede noted, “Stree 2 stood a clear cut winner owing to its fabulous franchisees strength, amazing music score with brilliant Bhojpuri add-on number by Pawan Singh, superlative marketing and promotional campaigns and upholding the newfound love of horror comedy genre by our masses. Vedaa stood second with Rs 6.52 crore which was released in Telugu and Tamil also along with Hindi and then came Khel Khel Mein with paltry Rs 5 crore on its opening day. While Vedaa worked on its tried and tested action formula of Satyamev Jayate and Batla House and catering to B and C centres, the Akshay Kumar starrer Khel Khel Mein’ is clearly a loser in this bargain with its lacklustre marketing and visibility quotient. Stree 2 will dominate this extended weekend with additional midnight shows and will easily surpass Rs 150 crore landmark by sheer strength of its trendsetter writing, surprising cameos and consolidating the supernatural universe created by Maddock films.”
According to Akshaye Rathi, “It’s been a fantastic independence day for everyone in the film exhibition centre. Stree 2 created a tsunami by collecting over Rs 50 crore which is significantly higher than the average lifetime numbers of most films attached to the on-screen talent in this film. It truly shows the power of great storytelling, great production, great marketing and really at the core of it the role of a solid producer. Due credit to Dinesh Vijan, Amar Kaushik and the writer Niren Bhat who have done their job well that that made Stree 2 the blockbuster it is.”
Rathi added, “While Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein have done reasonably decent numbers. It is not what you expect of a August 15 release and they’re eclipsed by the juggernaut that Stree 2 is. But we can hope that the word of mouth of all three films over the period of time sustains and move on to respectable totals given that the 22 and 29 August weekend there are no big releases coming up.”
Stree 3 Vs Khel Khel Mein Vs Vedaa: Who Will Win The Independence Day Box Office?
Regarding Shraddha Kapoor’s involvement in the successful franchise, Rathi said, “Shraddha Kapoor is incredibly lucky to be a part of this franchise because it will catapult her popularity and make her significantly more popular among the mass audience which she truly deserves and reach a degree of stardom.”
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh criticized Akshay Kumar’s strategy of releasing three films in four months, stating, “It is a complete tsunami at the box office and it has shocked and surpised the industry. It is a wake up call for the actors first of all to clash with a force like stree 2.” He added, You know Stree has cultivated a huge fan base over the years besides tne love it has generated also the trailer did the trick and franchise factor did the trick and to top it all was the Tamannah Bhatia song i have some videos have seen how the audience is going crazy over that song. People are dancing it took me back to the times of the 70s and 80s when people used to dance to the songs in cinema.”
On the clash with Vedaa and Khel Khel Mein, Adarsh said, “Stree 2 is unstoppable and to put your film in front of this tsunami is a miscalculated move requires a lot of courage. It is like coming in front of KGF 2 and Pushpa 2 one would require a lot courage. Surprisingly people thought that Khel Khel Mein would be the second highest but it is on the third position. And John has gone Ahead with Vedaa. Besides Khel Khel Mein is very metrocentric and that audience also has not given it a thumps up because there also stree is a formidable force on the other hand Akshay has had three releases Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sarfira and now this film and that is not a good strategy.. And it is a wake up for the entire industry.. Stars are important I am not denying that and needed to drive the audience but finally it is the content that does the talking.”
Director Saurabh Varma remarked, “This week has been really scary for the big stars who command heavy remuneration for their box office draw. The petite Shraddha Kapoor has beaten Akshay Kumar and John abraham films hollow this week. Whereas others went berserk on marketing their films and emphasised on formulaic approach in selling the film, Stree remained focused on its character arcs, humour and its primary genre of horror comedy. I guess the big stars have to rely more on good content than doing what they do conventionally best. What makes this comparison scary is that there is a drastic difference between the collections of Stree vs the other two Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa.”