Anurag Kashyap’s 'Bandar' Faces Uphill Battle at Box Office as Weekend Momentum Stalls

Despite garnering critical acclaim on the festival circuit, the Bobby Deol-led gritty thriller struggles to find its footing amid a crowded theatrical landscape.

The release of Bandar on June 5, 2026, was anticipated by cinephiles as a return to form for director Anurag Kashyap, but the film’s early domestic performance suggests a disconnect between festival prestige and commercial viability. Starring Bobby Deol as a fading television icon caught in a dark, investigative narrative, the film—internationally titled Monkey in a Cage—has struggled to translate its Toronto International Film Festival buzz into consistent footfalls at the ticket window.

Stiff Competition and Slim Show Counts

According to data from Sacnilk, Bandar opened with a modest net collection of Rs 0.50 crore on its first day across 1,365 shows. By the second day, the situation became increasingly precarious. With the screen count slashed to 260 shows, the film is contending with stiff competition from the Varun Dhawan-starrer Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai. Early tracking for Saturday shows a steep decline, with the film adding only Rs 0.05 crore to its tally, bringing the total net domestic collection to approximately Rs 0.55 crore.

The film's trajectory highlights a challenging period for mid-budget, subject-driven dramas in the current Indian theatrical market. While blockbusters like Dhurandhar 2 continue to rewrite history by crossing the 1000-crore mark, smaller films are finding it difficult to hold space in a landscape currently dominated by regional cinema and larger-than-life franchise spectacles.

A Muted Start for an Adult-Rated Thriller

The adult-rated thriller, which draws from real-life inspirations, was always expected to be a niche offering rather than a mass-market blockbuster. However, the sharp drop-off in momentum on its second day points to a lack of strong word-of-mouth support that could have potentially sustained its theatrical run. As evening and night show numbers for Saturday are still being aggregated, industry observers are waiting to see if the film can manage to crawl toward the 1-crore milestone, though the current outlook remains subdued.

For Bobby Deol, who has been widely praised for his intense performance in the role of Samar, the film represents a stark departure from the record-breaking success seen elsewhere in the industry this year. While the film continues to operate, the consolidated figures for Day 2 will be finalized shortly, providing a clearer picture of whether Bandar can find an audience in the coming days or if it will be quickly sidelined by more commercially aggressive releases.