In terms of occupancy, the film recorded an overall figure of 21.24% across India on its opening day. Morning shows saw a weak start at 15.08%, followed by a slight uptick to 18.58% in the afternoon. Evening and night shows showed further improvement with occupancies of 22.08% and 29.20% respectively. Delhi-NCR (21.75%), and Mumbai (20.75%) also did not see a greater occupancy.

Starring Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, and Darshan Kumar in lead roles, the film has underperformed even when compared to other recent releases. For instance, Fateh, the directorial debut of Sonu Sood, earned Rs 2.45 crore on its opening day. Himesh Reshammiya’s meta-spoof Badass Ravikumar fared way better with Rs 2.75 crore.

Also Read | The Bengal Files movie review: Vivek Agnihotri’s film comes unstuck in its loose, confused stretched-out execution

That said, The Bengal Files has done relatively well when compared to smaller or under-the-radar releases. Anupam Kher’s previous directorial and lead film Tanvi the Great managed only Rs 40 lakh on opening day. It has also fared better than other recent films like Superboys of Malegaon (Rs 50 lakh), Loveyapa (Rs 1.15 crore), and Sooraj Pancholi’s comeback vehicle Kesari Veer (Rs 25 lakh), all posted significantly much lower numbers.

The film is also facing intense competition from other big releases across languages. Hollywood horror sequel The Conjuring: Last Rites raked in approximately Rs 18 crore on its first day, while Tiger Shroff’s Baaghi 4 collected around Rs 12 crore. Meanwhile, the Malayalam blockbuster Lokah: Chapter 1 – Chandra has taken the domestic box office by storm, collecting a staggering Rs 62.45 crore so far.

Now, the future of The Bengal Files will largely depend on word of mouth and how the ongoing controversies around its release play out. The film’s release has reportedly been marred by resistance, particularly in West Bengal, with director Vivek Agnihotri alleging that theatre owners were under pressure not to screen the film.