'The Buckingham Murders', starring Kareena Kapoor, saw a limited release with just over 1,300 shows screened across India. Released on September 13, the crime thriller opened to mixed reviews, but Kareena Kapoor's performance was widely lauded. This film marks her second appearance on the big screen in 2024, following 'Crew'.
The Buckingham Murders Box-Office collection day 1
Primarily an English-language film, 'The Buckingham Murders' recorded an overall occupancy of 9.99% on Friday, with most audiences opting for night shows. In Delhi/NCR, it had 370 shows, while in Mumbai, the number was even lower at just 238 shows. Given the modest number of screenings, the film's opening is considered a decent start.
Despite the limited number of shows, the Hansal Mehta-directed film managed to collect Rs 1.15 crore on its first day, according to early estimates by industry tracker Sacnilk.
The release strategy and performance of 'The Buckingham Murders' draws parallels with last year’s surprise hit '12th Fail', starring Vikrant Massey. That film, too, had a limited release but benefited from strong word of mouth, eventually becoming one of the most successful films of the year. '12th Fail', directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, opened to Rs 1.11 crore but went on to earn a lifetime collection of over Rs 70 crore nett in India.
With no major releases scheduled for this week, 'The Buckingham Murders' has the potential to grow its box office collections over the weekend, as audiences may be drawn in by positive word of mouth and Kareena Kapoor's performance. The film revolves around a British-Indian detective grappling with personal loss while being tasked with solving the murder of a child in Buckinghamshire. The movie is jointly produced by Ekta Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor and marks another collaboration between Kapoor and director Hansal Mehta.
The Buckingham Murders Review
ABP Live review of the film reads as, "The steadily paced drama, penned by Raghav Raj Kakker, Kashyap Kapoor, and Aseem Arrora, doesn't blow up but instead draws you in slowly. But 'The Buckingham Murders' is so crammed with material that it barely has time to flesh it out during its nearly two-hour duration. The film, which revolves around parenthood, communal divides, murder, grief, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ prejudice, takes on more than it can handle. Owing to the limited run time of the plot, Hansal Mehta, who shined with his Netflix series 'Scoop' by neatly placing his cards, didn't have as much room to work with this one.
Nevertheless, the crime drama is truly captivating and definitely worth a couple of hours spent at the theatre, even though it might not be on everyone's must-watch list."