May 23, 2025: A Competitive Friday at the Indian Box Office
May 23, 2025, is shaping up to be a very competitive Friday at the Indian box office with three Bollywood films — Bhool Chuk Maaf, Kesari Veer, and Kapkapiii. Naturally, all films have some kind of unique appeal, but the box office battle will be serious, especially with these films opening next to holdover successes like Raid 2, Mission Impossible 8, and Final Destination: Bloodlines.
So let’s take a look at the expectations and potential performance of the three films to get a better expectation of which film will potentially lead the Friday collections.
Bhool Chuk Maaf: The Legal Row Survivor Who Hopes to Start With a Soft Opening
Directed by Karan Sharma, Bhool Chuk Maaf has had many ups and downs, ultimately making it to a theatre near you. Originally scheduled to open May 9, the romantic time-loop comedy starring Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi had a legal row that prevented it from being released. The makers of the film, at one point, considered going directly to OTT and releasing it on May 16; however, the film is now slated for theatrical release once again as of May 23.
With buzz mostly surrounding Rajkummar Rao and the film’s different approach to narrative, Bhool Chuk Maaf is expected to do something big opening domestically, although given the delay and availability on OTT.
Kesari Veer: A Historical Perspective on a Period Drama
Kesari Veer comes into the spotlight with Sooraj Pancholi and is based on the strong historical resistance against the Tughlaq Empire to save the Somnath Temple. It also features veterans Suniel Shetty and Vivek Oberoi, giving its period drama some star cachet.
With co-directors Prince Dhiman and Kanubhai Chauhan, Kesari Veer, even though it’s a grand subject, its focus on a niche audience (i.e., the historical genre) and lack of major buzz may inhibit its box office potential against a more traditional commercial entertainer.
Kapkapiii: A Hopeful Revival for Horror Comedy
The late filmmaker Sangeeth Sivan‘s Kapkapiii had been scheduled to release in June 2024 but has been rescheduled for May 23, 2025. Starring Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade, it is a horror comedy based on the 2023 blockbuster Malayalam Romancham.
Horror comedies have struggled at the box office lately, especially with the failure of The Bhootnii, so Kapkapiii is feeling the pressure to revive the horror-comedy. It will be interesting to see if this underdog surprise gets some word-of-mouth support.
The Bigger Picture: Hollywood Dominance and Holdovers
While the Bollywood boys jockey for the spotlight this Friday, Hollywood’s Mission: Impossible 8 – The Final Reckoning isn’t going anywhere. It’s likely to out-gross all three Bollywood films on its second Friday. Films such as Raid 2 and Final Destination: Bloodlines will continue to steal box office dollars.
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Box Office Worldwide
- Friday Box Office Leader: Bhool Chuk Maaf will likely be the leader of the Bollywood releases, due in part to Rajkummar Rao and some curiosity across the theatrical horizon on this rental after court drama legal affairs.
- Second Place: Kesari Veer will likely have a small niche and decent audience from the historical theme but will likely fall behind.
- Third Place: Kapkapiii has the most to overcome, as they must bring life back into horror comedy, as they may open with the lowest of the Bollywood releases.
- Both Kesari Veer and Kapkapii are unlikely to cross even ₹25 lakhs each on their opening day.
Hollywood will once again prevail, as Mission: Impossible 8 will likely have a better-than-three-for-one box office take from these Bollywood releases once again this weekend.
Overall, it appears to be a dud for Bollywood on Friday, with no big blockbuster box office coming from these films.
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