Third top-grossing Bollywood opener this year
Kareena, Kriti, Tabu’s ‘Crew‘ Nets 20 Crores Worldwide on Day One, after just a fortnight of release onto the big screens. Stepping aside from the prism of male-dominated cinema, director Rajesh A Krishnan stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon and Tabu in pivotal roles, delivering a light whimsical tale of female comradery and resilience in the backdrop of humour.
Crew, also casts Diljit Dosanjh, Saswata Chatterjee, Kapil Sharma, Rajesh Sharma & Kulbhushan Kharbanda in ensemble cast. Despite the story being centred on the femme-led leads, Crew has become the third highest Bollywood opener this year following Fighter and Shaitaan. Released across 2000 theatres worldwide, the film debuted across 75 countries and spanning 1100 venues.
Produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Anil Kapoor Films & Communication Network, the main producers include Ekta Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Digvijay Purohit. The estimated budget for the film, encompassing both production and advertising costs, is reported to be around ₹60 crore.
Soon after the first day screening across the world, Producer Ekta Kapoor took to Instagram announcing the film crossing ₹20 crore mark. She wrote, “Thanku INDIA!!!! My girls n Thanku INDIA !!!! My girls n our director showed d world how it’s done!!! World wide dhamaka! (sic).” According to the makers, the film has set a record by registering the “highest-ever opening for a three-female lead film worldwide”.
The story
Crew is a hilarious & exhilarating journey of ambitions, amity and aspirations of three air hostesses employed for “Kohinoor Airlines”. Unfortunately, the company is near financial collapse. However, they soon find themselves in the crossroads of fate when an opportunity to reclaim their lives present itself in the form of a dead passenger smuggling gold biscuit on board their flight.
What follows next is a whimsical and light-hearted heist comedy that has pleasantly amused first day viewers of the film on silver screens. Crew has raked in nearly Rs 20.07 crores on the very first day, ranking as the third highest Bollywood opener this year.
Released a day after Aadujeevitham – the goat story and on par with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Crew remains ahead while their box office collection treks behind at RS 15 crore and RS 13.80 crore respectively. The film has also overtaken Kriti Sanon and Shahid Kapoor’s movie “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya”, released earlier this year, grossing Rs. 7.02 Crore on the first day, and a total collection of Rs 82 Crore at the box office.
Public Opinion & Critical review
It has been a mixed bag of reviews from first day cinephiles with most dubbing the film to be a fresher concept that usually seen in Indian cinema, not adhering to conventional Bollywood. While many movie critics say that although fresh the film’s plot development was too fast for its pace, the amazing trio brought their own unique additions to the film, adding to the story’s emotional depth.
An X user named Upala KBR wrote, “Paisa Vasool says @ians_india for #Crew! Big feat in today’s times. @EktaaRKapoor & #RheaKapoor did it. Opening looks good.”
Another X user named Tushar Joshi wrote, “No one screams OG glam queen like Kareena! Bebo is everything why we go to the movies. She’s never had the need to try to stay relevant or jump on trends. She’s absolutely stunning in Crew. Also those genetics have withstood the test of time and triumphed. #KareenaKapoor #Crew”.
