Taapsee Pannu and filmmaker Anubhav Sinha reunite for the third time with Assi, a courtroom drama that hit theatres this Friday. However, despite the credibility of the actor-director duo and a strong ensemble cast, the film has opened to modest numbers at the box office.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Assi collected ₹1 crore on its opening day.
Limited Release & Occupancy Report
The film was screened across approximately 1,700 shows nationwide, which appears to have impacted its overall performance.
Day 1 Occupancy Breakdown:
- Morning: 3.88%
- Afternoon: 7.24%
- Evening: 6.92%
- Night: 11.48%
- Overall Occupancy: 7.38%
Region-wise Performance:
- Delhi-NCR: 426 shows | 7.5% occupancy
- Mumbai: 326 shows | 7.75% occupancy
The numbers reflect a slow start, with slight improvement in night shows but no major surge in footfall.
Comparison With Previous Collaborations
Compared to Taapsee and Anubhav Sinha’s earlier films, the opening appears underwhelming:
- Thappad — ₹3.07 crore (Day 1)
- Mulk — ₹1.68 crore (Day 1)
In contrast, Assi has debuted lower than both.
Comparison With Taapsee’s Recent Releases
Looking at Taapsee’s recent theatrical outings:
- Khel Khel Mein — ₹5.05 crore opening
- Dunki (starring Shah Rukh Khan) — ₹29.2 crore opening
- Dobaaraa — ₹70 lakh opening
- Shabaash Mithu — ₹50 lakh opening
While Assi has outperformed some of her smaller solo releases, it falls significantly short of her major commercial projects.
Courtroom Drama Comparison
Among recent courtroom dramas:
- Haq (led by Yami Gautam) — ₹1.75 crore opening
- Jolly LLB 3 — ₹12.5 crore opening
- Pink — ₹4.32 crore opening
Notably, Assi has even trailed behind Taapsee’s own critically acclaimed courtroom drama Pink, released nearly a decade ago.
However, for Anubhav Sinha, this opening marks an improvement over his previous theatrical release Bheed, which had opened at ₹50 lakh.
Competition & Outlook
The film is also facing competition from last week’s release O’Romeo, which has entered its second week and is nearing the ₹50 crore mark.
The positive takeaway for Assi is its favourable critical reception. If strong word-of-mouth builds over the weekend, the courtroom drama could witness growth in the coming days.
