Kabir Khan’s latest biographical sports drama, Chandu Champion picked up pace on its first Sunday (June 16) after a slow opening at the box office on Friday, June 14. Starring Kartik Aaryan in the lead, the film witnessed a growth of nearly 40 per cent from Saturday (June 15) and earned Rs 10 crore on Sunday.

According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the total box office collection of Chandu Champion after three days of release is Rs 21.75 crore. On June 14, the film grossed Rs 4.75 crore at the ticket counter. The following Saturday, it grossed Rs 7 crore. On Sunday, the film’s overall occupancy in Hindi was 32.47 per cent, with the evening shows drawing the maximum number of viewers.

With Monday being an Eid holiday, Chandu Champion has a chance to maintain its momentum at the ticket counters. It will soon face competition from Nag Ashwin’s much-anticipated film Kalki 2898 AD, which releases on June 27. Meanwhile, it is also competing with the horror-comedy Munjya, which has crossed the Rs 50 crore mark.

Though the film picked up pace on Sunday, it is Kartik Aaryan’s second-lowest weekend total since his debut film Pyaar Ka Punchnama. Before Chandu Champion, his 2023 release Shehzada had earned Rs 20.20 crore at the end of its opening weekend. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Kartik’s first film after the pandemic, earned Rs 55.96 crore in its first weekend. Romantic drama Satyaprem Ki Katha also performed better with Rs 37.35 crore over the weekend.

However, Chandu Champion is benefiting from the positive publicity. IndiaToday.in has given the film a 3-star rating. A portion of the review reads, “What makes Chandu Champion worth watching is that Kabir Khan really believes in his story and turns it into a good film. It is about heroism and recognising your potential, doing your best despite adversity and sticking to your dream. It doesn’t just sound clichéd but trite and yet it engages us on a human level.”

Chandu Champion also stars Vijay Raj, Brijendra Kala, Rajpal Yadav and Bhuvan Arora.