‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, which opened in theatres on April 11, has failed to live up to expectations at the box office. The biggie, shot on a budget of Rs 350 crore, grossed merely Rs 81.6 crore at the worldwide box office and ended up being a huge flop. Given its top-notch star cast and impressive scale, it had the potential to be a runaway hit but this didn’t happen. So, what went wrong?
‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ failed to create excitement among fans as the marketing and promotions were not up to the mark. The first teaser failed to connect with the masses. Similarly, the songs lacked a recall value. The action-packed trailer received a better reception but the damage had already been done.
“The film’s pitch and marketing were told exciting enough. The campaign failed to create a sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) around the film. There was not enough excitement among the audience to watch the film first day,” exhibitor Akshaye Rathi told News X.
This, however, was not the only reason behind the film’s downfall.
A film needs to have a compelling narrative to woo the audience and ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ couldn’t deliver on this front. According to tracker Ramesh Bala, the content itself was not up to the mark. It simply failed to match the standards set by action films such as ‘Jawan’ and ‘Pathaan’.
“The content was generic and the film lacked a USP. People expect something new even from action films. However, the novelty was missing in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan,” he said.
This led to mediocre word of mouth, which restricted the film’s growth after a fair start.
Eid is considered to be an eventful phase for the film industry as the festive mood encourages moviegoers to visit theatres. This, in turn, helps films put up good numbers at the ticket window. Salman Khan’s ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ and Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Chennai Express’ are two notable examples of films that ruled the box office during this period.
Eid 2024, however, proved to be a forgettable one for the industry. Maidaan, the other big release of the season, also bombed at the box office. It features Ajay Devgn as SA Rahim, one of the pioneers of Indian football, and is directed by Amit Sharma.
Coming back to ‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’, it is an action-comedy that features Akshay Kumar and Tiger as soldiers on a mission to recover a dangerous weapon from an unpredictable mastermind. The cast includes Prithviraj, Ronit Roy, Manushi Chhillar, and Sonakshi Sinha. The film is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, best known for his work on ‘Sultan’ and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’.
‘Bade Miyan Chote Miyan’ hit screens on April 11.
