Ever since the release of its trailer exactly a month ago, the film ’83’ appeared to be the talk of the town. 

The movie seemed to have it all: Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh as the lead; joined by another megastar, Deepika Padukone, to play his wife; Kabir Khan, the genius behind many films, as the director; and a plot surrounding India’s historic World Cup victory on June 25, 1983.

Yet, it turned out to be a slow starter at the office, defying the expectations that film trade analysts had in the beginning. Despite raving reviews and a positive word-of-mouth, ’83’ hasn’t been able to create the records it was slated to.

Also Read | ’83’ premiere: Ranveer Singh’s dance with Krishnamachari Srikkanth goes viral

To be specific, the sports drama earned Rs 12.64 crore on its opening day, and Rs 47 crore on its first-weekend, despite it being a festive weekend. It saw a major dip on the first weekday when it earned Rs 7.29 crore on Monday, and a lower Rs 6.7 crore on Tuesday, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh refrained from blaming it on the COVID-19 surge or the threat posed by the Omicron variant. Speaking to the news outlet, he said, “The good reviews from the critics and film industry have not translated into box office numbers. People just didn’t come in. Except for the three metros, nowhere else did we see a footfall in the theaters. The movie just did not click with people. Why should we blame coronavirus? Is it not there for those who are coming out to watch Spiderman: No Way Home and Pushpa: The Rise?” 

For film producer and trade analyst Girish Johar, the movie’s performance is associated with the fact that sports drama is not a mass entertainer.

Also Read | Ranveer Singh-starrer cricket drama ’83’ declared tax free in Delhi

“I think the buzz around the movie was industry and critics driven. It was not that hot at the audience level. Maybe they perceived it as a docu-sports drama. Those who have watched and loved it is mostly the generation that already knows about the 1983 World Cup whereas, for the youngsters who don’t know what transpired during 1983, they wanted to watch it only from the film’s perspective. But, from what I have heard, they didn’t like the character development and it didn’t offer them the entertainment which they thought it would,” Johar told The Indian Express.

“I am not saying it is a badly made film, but maybe the problem was in its conceptualisation only. It was not a massy film,” he added.

Moreover, people had other options in ‘Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise’ and the much-awaited and highly anticipated ‘Spiderman: No Way Home’. The former, in fact, was a way cheaper option than 83.

On the other hand, Marvel’s Spiderman had a remarkable opening and first-week collection, which it maintained in its second week as well. It is close to reaching the Rs 200 crore mark. 

Several states have reimposed restrictions and shut down public places, including theatres. The move will undeniably have an impact on the film industry, analysts have said. 

Adarsh, for instance, has been quoted as saying in the Indian Express report, “The game is over. It is disastrous. The industry was just starting to get back on track and now once again it has been hit by Covid-19.”