‘Bad Newz’ Earns $6 Million in Opening Weekend

The latest Hindi release, Bad Newz, made a notable debut at the box office, amassing nearly $6.4 million globally within its first three days. The film features Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri, and Amy Virk in lead roles. Directed by Anand Tiwari, known for Bandish Bandits and Maja Ma, Bad Newz is co-produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Amazon Prime.

In India, Bad Newz garnered $1 million on its opening day, gradually increasing its gross to $3.5 million by the end of the weekend. By Tuesday, the film crossed the $4 million mark, collecting $4.5 million within five days. Meanwhile, in the US market, the film earned $1,070,870, placing it eighth on Comscore’s list of top ten movies over the weekend ending July 21.

Outside of India, the movie also performed impressively, earning over $2 million in the Gulf region and an additional $1 million at the North American box office. Globally, Bad Newz collected $1.6 million on its opening day, which rose to $3.7 million on the second day, culminating in a total of $6.4 million by the end of three days.

The movie is now ranked as the fifth highest opening Hindi film of 2024. Leading this year’s record is Nag Ashwin’s epic, Kalki 2898 AD, featuring a star-studded cast including Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan, which opened with nearly $2.8 million. Sidharth Anand’s Fighter follows closely, having earned $2.7 million, and remains the highest opening Hindi original for the year in India. Other notable mentions include Bade Miyan Chote Miyan with a $1.9 million opening and Shaitaan amassing $1.7 million on its first day.

For Vicky Kaushal personally, Bad Newz marks his third-highest opening weekend collection in India, preceded only by Aditya Dhar’s Uri: The Surgical Strike and Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi.

Despite the strong box office numbers, Bad Newz has faced criticism for its execution. Written by Ishita Moitra and Tarun Dudeja, the film has been rebuked for being overly fluffy and lacking emotional depth, failing to establish its main characters properly.

The plot of Bad Newz is inspired by real incidents. It follows a woman who, while pregnant, discovers that her twins have two different biological fathers due to a rare medical condition known as ‘Heteropaternal Superfecundation’. The story explores how she navigates this revelation and decides whether to co-parent with either father.

Despite the writing limitations, Vicky Kaushal stands out with his performance. He portrays a flamboyant Punjabi boy from Delhi who aims to have a good marriage while keeping his mother happy. Kaushal’s character benefits from detailed development, portraying a patriarchal yet good-hearted individual ready to change himself and those around him.

On the other hand, Triptii Dimri’s character leaves much to be desired. She plays an ambitious chef who marries for love but soon realizes she prefers to pursue her dreams independently. However, her character lacks depth, failing to convey her passion for her aspirations or her love convincingly. Her emotional moments come across as abrupt and superficial.

Other characters and sequences in the film also feel underdeveloped, often resembling short social media clips with rich visuals but lacking in emotional resonance. For example, an ex-lover is mentioned thrice without any depth, serving merely as a plot device. While Bad Newz was touted as a spiritual sequel to Good Newwz, it falls short of its predecessor.

The concept of twins with different biological fathers has intrigued many over the years. One of the earliest references comes from John Archer, the first doctor to receive a medical degree in the United States, as noted in a 2009 report. Similar cases have been reported over the years, including a Vietnamese woman in 2016 and a Brazilian woman in 2022.

Source: Comscore, Today.com, BBC