Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Maalik’ Struggles at Box Office, Misses Top 10 Weekend Spot

Despite strong anticipation and Rajkummar Rao’s proven acting prowess, his latest release Maalik is off to a lukewarm start at the box office. After completing its first weekend, the gangster drama has collected approximately ₹14.09 crore domestically—failing to enter the Top 10 Bollywood openers of 2025.

The film opened with just ₹3.35 crore on Friday, saw slight momentum on Saturday with collections around ₹5.25 crore, but couldn’t sustain a major boost on Sunday. The third day added only ₹5.25 crore, capping the weekend at a modest figure far below industry expectations.

What’s more concerning is the film’s advance booking, which was limited to under 6,500 tickets across major chains—signaling early trouble. Despite high expectations and decent promotions, Maalik is now trailing behind competing Bollywood and Hollywood titles, including the global juggernaut Superman.

Trade analysts estimate the film needs to cross ₹54–60 crore in India to break even. With its current trajectory, Maalik faces an uphill climb unless weekday collections show a surprise turnaround or strong word-of-mouth drives footfalls in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.