Two big Bollywood movies, Bhool Chook Maaf and Kesari Chapter 2 , clashed with each other in the theatres on 23rd May 2025. Both the movies grabbed the attention of the audience on the first day of their release, but the question is, which one was ahead in the first day collections at the box office? In this article, we will analyze the first day collections, story, starcast and audience response of both the movies, so that you get to know which one among Bhool Chook Maaf and Kesari Chapter 2 earned more on the first day.
Forgive me for mistakes: First day’s earnings and story
Bhool Chook Maaf is a romantic, comedy and science-fiction drama starring Rajkummar Rao and Vamika Gabbi in the lead roles. The story of the film revolves around Ranjan Tiwari (Rajkummar Rao) and Titli Mishra (Vamika Gabbi), who live in Banaras. The two are in love and plan to elope and get married, but their plans change. Titli’s father puts a condition in front of Ranjan that he has to get a government job in two months. The film also stars a brilliant cast like Seema Pahwa, Sanjay Mishra, Raghubir Yadav and Zakir Hussain.
Box Office Collection : According to Saccanilk, Bhool Chook Maaf grossed around Rs 6-7 crore at the Indian box office on its first day . The morning show had an occupancy of 9.40% and the afternoon show had an occupancy of 18.26%, with Chennai witnessing the highest occupancy of 57%. The film has a budget of around Rs 50 crore, and looking at the first day collections, it can be considered a decent start. However, the controversies over OTT and theatre release before the release had affected the pre-release buzz of the film.
Kesari Chapter 2: First day earnings and story
Kesari Chapter 2 is a historical courtroom drama based on the events that follow the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. The film stars Akshay Kumar as Justice Chettur Shankaran Nair, who fights a legal battle against the Crown. He is accompanied by stars like R. Madhavan and Ananya Panday. The film is a spiritual sequel to 2019’s Kesari and received great appreciation from audiences and critics.
Box Office Collection : Kesari Chapter 2 earned Rs 7.75 crore on its first day of release on 18 April 2025. The film took advantage of the Good Friday holiday and recorded an average occupancy of 19.10%. However, it is important to note that this collection of Kesari Chapter 2 was not on 23 May, but at the time of its release. On 23 May, the film was on its 36th day and earned Rs 30 lakh on this day , as it was in the final leg of its theatrical run.
Day 1 Earnings: Comparison
- Forgive me for any mistakes : First day collections Rs 6-7 crores .
- Kesari Chapter 2 : First day collections Rs 7.75 crore (on 18th April 2025).
Kesari Chapter 2 had earned slightly more than Bhool Chook Maaf on its opening day . However, the fresh release of Bhool Chook Maaf on 23rd May 2025 gave it more screens and audience attention on that day. Kesari Chapter 2 was on its 36th day and its collections had already crossed Rs 90 crore, making it clear that it did well at the box office in the long run.
Audience response and future prospects
- Bhool Chuk Maaf : The film has received mixed response. The audience liked the chemistry of Rajkumar Rao and Vamika Gabbi, but some found the story a bit confusing. Its earnings may increase over the weekend based on word-of-mouth.
- Kesari Chapter 2 : The film received rave reviews from critics and audiences. However, due to the huge budget of Rs 150 crore, it had a long way to go to become a hit. By May 23, it had reached Rs 92-94 crore, but it needed more earnings to be considered a hit.
Other competing films
Apart from Bhool Chook Maaf and Kesari Chapter 2, Kesari Veer (Sunil Shetty and Sooraj Pancholi) and Shiver (Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade) were also released on 23 May . Kesari Veer earned Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore on the first day and Shiver earned Rs 50 lakh , which was much less than Bhool Chook Maaf . Apart from this, Raid 2 (Ajay Devgan) and Mission Impossible 8 (Tom Cruise) were also strong at the box office, which increased the competition further.
Conclusion: Who won in Day 1 earnings?
Kesari Chapter 2 grossed Rs 7.75 crore on its opening day (18 April 2025) beating Bhool Chook Maaf (Rs 6-7 crore) by a narrow margin. However, the fresh release of Bhool Chook Maaf on 23 May 2025 attracted more viewers on that day, as Kesari Chapter 2 was in the final leg of its run. The story and starcast of both the films impressed the viewers, but in the long run Kesari Chapter 2 performed better.
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