After much anticipation, actor Vijay Deverakonda's film, Kingdom, finally released in theatres on July 31, Thursday. To get a headstart over films like Dhadak 2 and Son Of Sardaar 2, releasing on August 1, Friday, the makers chose to drop the film in cinema halls on an unconventional Thursday, and it seems to have worked in their favour, as Kingdom opened with a decent Rs 15.50 crore.
According to industry tracker, Sacnilk, Kingdom earned Rs 15.50 crore on its first day, and most of the business came from the Telugu speaking regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The film also did well in Bengaluru and Chennai, but it did not really pick up in the Hindi belt.
For a film made on a budget of approximately Rs 130 crore, Rs 15.50 crore on the first day seems like a decent start, as the entire weekend is yet to decide the fate of the film. It is to be noted that Kingdom will have an extended weekend as it released on Thursday, and will thus have an edge over the two Hindi films releasing on Friday.
Fans flocked in theatres on Thursday to watch Vijay's Kingdom on the big screen, but they were seen leaving the premises in a rather underwhelming mood. Netizens too reviewed the film as "average" and "one-time watch". Most of the fans who watched the film had a similar opinion -- that Kingdom was visually grand with good storyline and acting, but lacked the emotional depth.
Kingdom presented Vijay in a never-seen-before avatar, and from the trailer itself, it was conveyed that the film is laced with copious amounts of action, bloodshed, and drama. Kingdom tells the tale of a cop, played by Vijay, who goes undercover on mission, and that is when he finds his brother Siva, played by Satyadev, in Sri Lanka. How he reunites with his brother and whether he successfully accomplishes his mission forms the crux of the story.
Besides Vijay and Satyadev, Kingdom also stars actress Bhagyashree Borse, and her steamy scenes with Vijay had gone viral even before the film's release.
Kingdom has been directed by Gowtham Tinnanuri, who is the known for the film, Jersey.
