Yash Raj Films' Alpha, starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, has turned out to be a major disappointment at the Indian box office. On its 16th day of release (Saturday, July 18), the film added an estimated ₹0.48 crore net, showing a 92% growth from day 15's ₹0.25 crore but still failing to make any significant impact.
After 16 days, the film's total India net collection stands at ₹57.53 crore, which translates to approximately ₹67.88 crore gross. With no momentum left, the film is now heading for a lifetime collection of below ₹65 crore net in India.
Historic Low For YRF Spy Universe
Directed by Shiv Rawail in his feature debut, Alpha was produced by Aditya Chopra under the prestigious Yash Raj Films banner. The film boasts an ensemble cast including Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol as the antagonist, and Anil Kapoor as the RAW chief, with a special appearance by Hrithik Roshan as Major Kabir Dhaliwal.
However, the film's performance has been historically poor for the Spy Universe. Its lifetime collection will be lower than Pathaan's first Thursday collection of ₹70.5 crore, making it the first film in the franchise to miss the century mark. The film's week-wise breakdown shows a massive decline: first week ₹48.4 crore, second week ₹8.4 crore, with day 15 at ₹0.25 crore and day 16 at ₹0.48 crore.
Reasons Behind The Failure
The film faced multiple challenges from the start. The mixed-to-negative reviews upon its July 3 release resulted in the franchise's lowest opening-day collection of ₹9.25 crore. Despite a slight surge over the opening weekend, the film dropped sharply on weekdays.
In comparison to other Spy Universe films, Alpha registered the weakest second-day collection. For perspective, War 2 had collected ₹57.85 crore on day 2, Pathaan earned ₹70.50 crore, and Tiger 3 brought in ₹59.25 crore. Additionally, competition from Welcome To The Jungle and later Dhamaal 4 significantly impacted its screen count.
Historically, female-led action films have struggled to attract audiences at the Indian box office, and the underperformance of recent Spy Universe films like Tiger 3 and War 2 further compounded the challenge. With a reported budget of ₹100 crore, Alpha has recovered only about 58% of its investment, making it the biggest disappointment of the franchise.