John Abraham’s latest film, The Diplomat, witnessed a sharp decline in its box office collections on its first Monday, earning just around Rs 1.50 crore, as per early estimates from sacnilk.com. The significant drop comes after a promising opening weekend, bringing the film’s total domestic earnings to an estimated Rs 14.85 crore.
The Diplomat, inspired by real events, saw a steady rise in collections over its first three days. The film opened with Rs 4.03 crore on Friday, followed by Rs 4.68 crore on Saturday and Rs 4.74 crore on Sunday. However, the first Monday proved challenging, with collections dipping considerably.
The film, directed by Shivam Nair, is based on the real-life rescue mission led by Indian diplomat JP Singh. John Abraham plays the titular role, while Sadia Khateeb, known for Shikara, portrays Uzma, the Indian woman he rescues from Pakistan.
Despite the dip, the makers remain hopeful about weekday holdover and word-of-mouth boosting the film’s performance in the coming days.
Reflecting on the film’s commercial journey, John Abraham emphasised the importance of storytelling over sheer box office numbers. While acknowledging the industry’s fixation on high revenue figures, the actor stated that his focus remains on producing impactful narratives.
“My vision as a producer and as an actor is just to create good stories and reach out to a wider audience. Do I want the numbers? Of course, we all do, but we want that with good stories. That’s the difference,” Abraham remarked.
He further pointed out that while commercial success is important, the industry should prioritise strong storytelling and quality filmmaking over mere box office calculations. “We’ve to cut all this noise, go back to writing, go back to where we started from and why we wanted to make films,” he added.
The Diplomat still has the potential for a resurgence as it battles Vicky Kaushal’s ‘Chhaava’. However, the coming weekdays will be crucial in determining whether the film can sustain itself at the box office.
Additionally, the film will face added competition at the box office with the release of the upcoming children’s film ‘Snow White’, this weekend.
