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From the moment the trailer for Deva by Rosshan Andrrews was released, buzz has been accumulating. With Shahid Kapoor’s return to the big screen post his success in Kabir Singh and Jersey, both fans and critics had immense expectations from this venture. In addiiton to him, Pooja Hegde and Pavail Gulati also star in this movie which adds intrigue as to whether the movie will be able to deliver. Deva is a Hindi action thriller that has created a lot of buzz since it was released on 31st January, 2025. So now that the movie has had its first day on box office, let’s go ahead and analyze its performance.
The Theme and Popularity of the Film
In Deva, an averagely man finds himself in the middle of extraordinary actions, moral dilemmas, and thriller drama. The movie is set in a harsh metropolitan setting which is similar to many works of Andrrews. Critics have had a bit of a mixed response to the movie, saying that it blends action with narrative and that Deva is being powered with the performance of Shahid Kapoor. With that said, some were also quick to criticize the movie and say that it was a bit cliche and didn’t provide better statements.
Even while being on the negative side, it is impossible to deny how Deva created the buzz surrounding its release. Given the popularity of digital platforms, there are high expectations for an engaging and grand experience in cinemas. This made the film become to a gauge for how well Kapoor can carry a movie without a franchise.
Deva managed to do decently on the first day of release, though the time within which analysis into the exact figures will be done still remains to be seen. As claimed, the film grossed around ₹15-18 Crore on its opening day, so this is reasonable to thematic development as well as competition in the entertainment space. It is a given that Deva would have a solid opening given the OTT and regional film landscape competition, however, Bollywood films usually do face tough opposition.
For a mid-range budget action flick, a ₹15 crore opening day is pretty good, primarily because Deva does not belong to any notable franchises or superhero categories, which often have higher box office collections on the first day. It can be claimed that the sole reason why an immense number of people showed up in theaters is because of the immense stardom Sikh Kapoor holds. Considering his followers, this does make sense given how many were looking forward to watching him in a powerful action role.
The collections on the first day were not the same across all regions of India. As expected, Deva saw strong box office numbers in urban centers where Shahid Kapoor has a significant fan following. Cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru did not disappoint in regard to footfall on the first day, which led to the high collection statistics.
Nonetheless, the same enthusiasm was lacking in smaller towns and rural regions. This may stem from the niche appeal of the genre itself. Indeed, action films tend to perform better in the countryside, but Deva’s intricate plot and deliberate pacing must not have performed very well in the non-metro regions. In addition, with the advent of regional cinema, there is scope to believe that Hindi cinema with such niche plotlines might not be accepted readily in small town India.
Competition and Challenges
The day one collection of Deva’s should also be understood in regards to these competitions. The film was released parallel to other major Bollywood films which could have shifted available audiences. Deva now also had to contend with the growth of competition in the film industry where OTT releases are making their presence felt too.
Even with these challenges, aviation fan’s of Shahid Kapoor along with action sequence driven audience contributed to a large part of the revenue. The crux of the question now is whether the film can keep the audience with the same excitement in the days to come or whether barely any will come once the day spending is over.
Factors Contributing to Opening Day Success
There are many factors that contributed to the attendance on the opening day of Deva. One of the most important was the strong presence of Shahid Kapoor. The actor has a loyal following because of his roles in Kabir Singh and other films and that benefitted Deva. It was even more of an advantage that the movie had Bollywood action which Shahid Kapoor is known for, because it means the audience is much more likely to come see the film.
Further, social media marketing was on point with teaser trailers and other content posted well ahead of the premiere of the movie that created anticipation about its release. The film further exploited Shahid’s popularity by organizing interviews, special promotions, and behind the scenes footage that created even more buzz around the film.
Another factor was the rising popularity of action thriller narratives in the Indian film industry. Compared to before, action films these days are getting all the glitz and glamour attention, so long as the high budget action expectations are matched with good story plots. Deva was able to do both which may be the reason the film had such a strong opening day box office.
What is Next for Deva?
Considering Deva’s numbers on the first day, the film is likely to perform at a moderately decent level over the next few days too, thanks to optimistic word of mouth. A lot will also depend on the film’s post release audience reception. If there is a strong enough following for the film, its sales could normalize and the movie may gain some mileage in its run.
Deva’s actual breakout will strongly depend on the film’s second or third week for its genre and since it does not have any major franchise support. Even so, it will have to keep up an active presence at the box office without too much falling victim to new releases or competitive OTT content.
Conclusion
Deva made ₹15-18 crore on its first day, a good figure for an action thriller with no major franchise attached to it. Its promotion, Shahid Kapoor’s popularity, and Shashank Khaitan’s action scenes earned this film a prominent box office standing but whether it can sustain its position remains a question mark due to the contest posed and mixed reviews received. The spectators’ feedback will be the deciding factor for this film’s future. Should Deva not be able to make use of all the buzz it stirred, the initial box office surge will be deceptive in nature.
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