The biggest box office bomb in Indian cinema history had a massive loss of 99.98%
In a day and age when massive care is taken about the final product of films and strategies are made for promotions, a Bollywood film released incomplete, with zero promotions. So it should not be a surprise that the film with a Rs 45-crore budget found no takers at the ticket window, selling less than one thousand tickets nationally
1. India’s biggest flop film
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Ajay Bahl’s crime thriller The Lady Killer stars Arjun Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles. Made on a budget of Rs 45 crore, the film saw several delays in production and eventually released in November 2023. It earned under Rs 1 lakh at the box office, one of the lowest ever for a mainstream Bollywood film
2. Why The Lady Killer earned less than a lakh
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The Lady Killer was released only in a handful of theatres as a token theatrical release. It sold just 293 tickets on day one, grossing Rs 38,000. Its lifetime total was under a lakh, dismal for the film
3. Was The Lady Killer released incomplete?
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The makers of The Lady Killer had a contractual obligation for its OTT release. As per media reports, the deadline for the film’s OTT release (for which the digital rights had already been sold) was December-end. This meant that the film needed to be released in theatres in early November for the stipulated 4-6-week theatrical release window. Since the digital rights revenue mattered, producers decided to release the incomplete film
4. The Lady Killer had zero promotions
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Naturally, given that the film was releasing incomplete, the stars – Arjun and Bhumi – refused to promote the film. There were no interviews, no junkets, and no publicity material apart from a trailer. The film’s director went on record to express his displeasure with the way the film released
5. The Lady Killer’s OTT release
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Funnily enough, the reason the film was released incomplete in theatres – the digital release – never materialised. The bad press the film got in its theatrical run meant that streaming platforms were hesitant to on board it. As a result, The Lady Killer is not on any OTT platform today
