Box Office – Adah Sharma steps into the big league, scores fourth biggest weekend for a female centric film with The Kerala Story

15 years after making her big screen debut with horror film 1920 (which was a success), Adah Sharma is finally finding herself in the big league. Though she has been a part of some successful films in Bollywood [Commando franchise] as well as South [Kshanam], somehow big bucks were eluding her. Well, the wait is finally over for now as with The Kerala Story, she has scored a biggie which is amongst the biggest weekend openers of all times when it comes to female centric films.

In fact the good part is that there isn’t much to differentiate the weekend numbers with the one which is right at the top, Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi. The Kangana Ranaut starrer had at least five times the budget of The Kerala Story and had earned 42.55 crores over its first weekend. Now The Kerala Story is not too far behind which shows how well the film has done from the ROI perspective.

Here are the weekend/first 3 day numbers of the Top-10 weekend for female centric films:

Here are the weekend/first 3-day numbers of the Top-10 weekend for female-centric films:

1. Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi – 42.55 crores
2. Gangubai Kathiawadi – 39.12 crores
3. Veere Di Wedding – 36.52 crores
4. The Kerala Story – 35 crores*
5. Dear Zindagi – 32.50 crores
6. Raazi – 32.93 crores
7. The Dirty Picture – 32.70 crores
8. Mary Kom – 28 crores
9. Heroine – 25 crores
10. Ragini MMS 2 – 24.50 crores

Except for Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi right at the top (which went past the 40 crores mark) and then Mary Kom, Heroine and Ragini MMS at the bottom (which were in their 20s), each of the other remaining six films has found itself in the 30s which shows how tough it is for female centric films to score at the box office. This is what makes The Kerala Story all the more important for the film industry as it shows that even with a small budget, a movie with a volatile subject and good performances can do well.

*Estimates. Final numbers awaited

Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.

Must Read: The Kerala Story Box Office Day 3: Enjoys An Excellent Weekend, Is The 5th Highest Bollywood Grosser Of 2023 Already