Ajay Devgn Admitted Failure of Singham Again & Appreciated Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3

Bollywood has always been famous for its festive box-office clashes, and this Diwali was no exception. The two big franchises that went head to head at the box office were Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

While both films had their share of successes and setbacks, the lead actor in Singham Again, Ajay Devgn, recently spoke about the performance of his film in comparison to the Kartik Aaryan-led horror-comedy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

Here’s a deep dive into the results of this clash and Ajay’s candid reflections on the competition.

The Clash: A Look at the Numbers

Simultaneous release of Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 on November 1, 2024. Expectations from the audiences are high.

1. Opening Day Collections:

Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again has been off to a very impressive ₹43.5 crore. This is one of the highest first-day earnings for the Cop Universe franchise.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, directed by Anees Bazmee, also started well, collecting ₹35.5 crore on its opening day, making it Kartik Aaryan’s biggest opener to date.

2. Overall Box Office Performance:

As of its 23rd day, Singham Again earned ₹237.02 crore in India. Though the opening week was very strong, collections fell in subsequent weeks; it earned ₹47.5 crore in the second week and ₹15 crore in the third week.

In the meantime, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 pulled ahead in the second week and kept stronger momentum especially due to positive word-of-mouth reviews. It had surpassed Singham Again by the third week with total collections close to ₹240 crore in domestic earnings.

Ajay Devgn’s Reaction

In a recent interview, Ajay Devgn talked about Singham Again’s performance, acknowledging that while the film had a stellar opening, it failed to sustain its initial momentum.

Devgn attributed the slowdown to audience fatigue with formulaic action dramas and expressed his respect for the innovative storytelling of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.

“Franchises need to evolve,” Ajay said, emphasizing the importance of offering fresh narratives even within established cinematic universes like the Cop Universe.

He candidly admitted that Singham Again might have fallen short in pushing the creative boundaries.

Why Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Succeeded

One of the key reasons behind Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’s success is that it combines horror and comedy in a very unique manner, which goes quite well with Indian audiences.

The film also brought Vidya Balan back as Manjulika, who had been missed since the 2007 original. It was this nostalgia factor combined with Anees Bazmee’s engaging direction and Kartik Aaryan’s charisma that gave the movie a huge edge.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 also carved out its own space amidst the festive releases, with a lighter, family-friendly offering compared to the high-octane action of Singham Again. According to trade analysts, this diversity in genres worked in favor of the horror-comedy.

Lessons for Bollywood

The clash between Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is indicative of evolving tastes among Indian audiences.

Traditionally, big action movies like those in the Cop Universe would have been blockbusters, but Indian audiences are increasingly looking at unique and relevant stories, something that Ajay Devgn acknowledged while stating his intent to be adventurous with the kind of characters and stories he may essay in the future.

This also highlights the relevance of timing and marketing strategy. Though Singham Again was more widely released and occupied more screens in its first week, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 used good word-of-mouth and repeat viewership to sustain its lead at the box office.

Both Ajay Devgn and Kartik Aaryan can take precious learnings out of this. The readiness of Devgn to rectify the lapses on Singham Again depicts an awareness of how the scene is now changing.

Kartik Aaryan’s successful experiment with the franchise format, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, solidifies him as one of Bollywood’s top stars with considerable bankability.

As Bollywood gets into 2025, the next set of lessons from those films will be closely monitored to see how they take their shape in future works.

Whether it is Son of Sardaar 2 by Ajay, or Kartik’s forthcoming project, the focus could be on creating different unique and interesting stories that appeal to today’s choosy audiences.