Chhava vs Tanhaji vs Kesari: Which Bollywood historical movie is winning the box office battle?

Chhaava, starring Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, and Akshaye Khanna, was released on February 14. The historical drama had an impressive opening. Let’s compare its box office collection with that of two other historical Bollywood dramas, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and Kesari.

On Day 1, Chhaava collected ₹31 crore, more than double the ₹15 crore earned by Tanhaji, starring Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan. Kesari, starring Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra, earned ₹21.06 crore on Day 1.

The trend continued on Day 2, with Chhaava earning ₹37 crore, Tanhaji earning ₹20.37 crore and Kesari minting ₹16.75 crore.

By Day 3, Chhaava further extended its lead, amassing ₹48.5 crore, compared to Tanhaji’s ₹26.01 crore and Kesari’s ₹18.75 crore.

This strong start indicates Chhaava’s immense popularity and audience interest, potentially setting it up for a record-breaking performance in the coming days.

In three days, Vicky Kaushal’s historical drama on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj minted ₹116.5 crore. Tanhaji collected ₹56.56 crore in the first three days and earned ₹155.7 crore net total box office collection.

Kesari had a much better collection than Tanhaji. It collected ₹61.38 crore in the first three days while its total net box office collection was ₹277.75 crore.

Chhaava, reportedly made with ₹130 crore, has an advantage over Tanhaji, which was reportedly made with a budget of ₹120 crore in 2020. Kesari, a 2019 movie, was made with a budget of ₹80 crore.

How much does a movie need to earn to break-even?

A movie usually needs to earn twice its production cost to recover expenses. For example, if a film costs ₹100 crore, it must collect at least ₹200 crore at the box office to cover production and marketing costs.

Typically, theatres take around 40-50% of the box office revenue. It means the film’s total earnings are not entirely going to the producers.

Disclosure: Box office numbers have been sourced from Sacnilk