Hrithik Roshan in the film. (courtesy: X)
Siddharth Anand's Fighter witnessed a subtle dip on its first Wednesday [Day 7], compared to its collection on Day 6 at the domestic box office. Headlined by Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, the film on Day 7 made ₹6.35 crore (across all languages), as per Sacnilk. After its first week in theatres, Fighter's total business now stands at ₹140.35 crore at the Indian box office, the report added. The business of the film which hit the theatres on January 25, began to dwindle from Monday onwards, when it fell to a single digit earning of ₹8 crore compared to Sunday's total of ₹29 crore. On Tuesday, Fighter minted ₹7.5 crore. The film features Hrithik as Squadron Leader Shamsher Pathania, aka Patty, and Deepika as Squadron Leader Minal Rathore, aka Mini.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh has described the box-office business patterns of Fighter as something of a "paradox”. On Wednesday, Taran Adarsh shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) and claimed that "the dwindling numbers in India are a complete shocker.” This is because Fighter is doing well abroad in markets such as USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Taran Adarsh wrote, “Fighter shocks India, rocks overseas. The underperformance of Fighter has sent shock waves within the industry. Imagine, the film ticks all the boxes - right from star names and director's credentials to tremendous critical acclaim and positive audience feedback. Yet, the dwindling numbers in India are a complete shocker. To face a setback at the very start of the year is indeed worrisome.”
He continued: "Having said that, while the numbers are witnessing a downward trend in India, the biz in key international markets continues to be strong, even on weekdays. Markets like the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are still holding the fort, even after an excellent weekend. How does one explain this paradox?"
In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5. Talking about Hrithik Roshan's character Patty, he wrote, “He is a cocky Fighter pilot who flies into danger without batting an eyelid. He is a charmer who can talk two ladies into parting with their plates of biryani. He can dance like a dream after a mission has been accomplished and a peppy celebratory number is in order. And, when things heat up, he can jump into close-quarters combat with the villain.” Read his complete review here.
Fighter also features Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, and Akshay Oberoi in key roles. The aerial actioner revolves around India's airstrike following the Pulwama terrorist attack. Fighter has been jointly backed by Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures.