Indian actors Sadia Khateeb and John Abraham on the poster of Hindi film ‘The Diplomat’.
The new Hindi film The Diplomat has had an average run at the box office, scoring a little above the $3 million-mark worldwide. Headlined by John Abraham who also produced the thriller, The Diplomat made an opening collection that fell short of $700,000 at the global ticket windows.
John Abraham’s The Diplomat Scores $1.7 million in a week
Abraham co-produced The Diplomat with Bhushan Kumar’s T Series. The film saw a disappointing opening but picked pace with time. Directed by Shivam Nair, The Diplomat opened to mixed reviews on March 14 when it released in theatres across the globe.
The Diplomat: Box Office Report
After making an opening collection below $500,000, The Diplomat saw an upward trend over the weekend in the Indian markets. It collected $534,000 and $546,000 on Saturday and Sunday – the film’s second and third days at the Indian box office. The Diplomat managed to wrap the first weekend at $2.2 million in India.
Globally, The Diplomat grossed around $690,000 in its opening collection which rose to $2.2 million by the end of its first weekend at the ticket windows worldwide. The thriller managed to score $3.2 million in seven days at the global box office.
The low collections can be attributed to a stiff competition from Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava. Made at an estimated budget of a little above $2 million, The Diplomat has crossed the figure for its investment but is yet to register big numbers at the box office. With another week for its run before another major Hindi film (Sikandar) arrives, it still has scope to wrap a decent collection at the ticket windows.
The Diplomat
Written by Ritesh Shah, The Diplomat is the real-life story of India’s Uzma Ahmed who was forced into marriage and was kept captive until the Indian embassy stepped in to help her escape to India. Abhram plays the titular role of JP Singh while Sadia Khateeb (Shikara, Raksha Bandhan) essays the role of Uzma Ahmed. Shah has previously worked on critically acclaimed thrillers including Pink (2016) and Kahaani (2012).
The movie traces Uzma Ahmed’s struggle to get back to her country, India, after spending months in captivity when she trusted a Pakistani man who eventually abducted her and kept her captive. She managed to reach the Indian Embassy in Pakistan’s Islamabad to seek help and she was finally rescued, reaching India in May 2017.
The real-life story had all the elements of a gripping thriller. However, the filmmakers have not managed to rake in the full potential. Thanks to an over-zealous attempt to keep things non-emotional, the narrative feels too disconnected and unnatural to empathize. In keeping the story real, the film avoids any passionate portrayal, even for the girl in focus who is struggling to get out of an abusive marriage that she was forced into, in a hostile surrounding.
The Diplomat: Box office competition
When The Diplomat released in theatres, Chhaava was already raking in huge box office numbers. As The Diplomat closed its first week at $3 million, Chaava completed 36 days at the box office, grossing a little more than $90 million. The historic war saga continues to offer tough competition to Hindi films landing in theatres ever since Chhaava released on February 14. The film on Chhatrapathi Sambhaji Maharaj is expected to have a digital premiere on April 11 on Netflix.
Abraham’s film has a few days before Salman Khan’s Sikandar arrives in theatres, hoping to kill all buzz around any Hindi film except the one with Khan. Directed by AR Murugadoss, Sikandar features Khan alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Suneil Shetty and Sharman Joshi. Sathyaraj and Prateik Babbar also star in the film produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and is slated to hit theatres on Sunday, March 30.
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