Both horror comedy 'Abigail' and sports drama 'Challengers' were released in theaters in India on April 26. 'Abigail' is a reimagining of the 1936 Universal Classic Monsters film 'Dracula's Daughter,' while 'Challengers' follows a professional tennis champion who plots a comeback with the help of his wife as he goes up against another player, who also happens to be his former best friend and wife's former lover. However, neither film was able to make a significant impact at the box office. 'Abigail' earned only Rs 6 lakh on its first day, while 'Challengers' earned a mere Rs 4 lakh. In contrast, Aayush Sharma's film 'Ruslaan' performed much better, earning Rs 60 lakh on its debut.
In other Hollywood news, the film 'Gigli,' starring Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, was a colossal flop. Made on a budget of $54 million, it only made $7 million at the box office and received negative reviews from critics. The film was pulled from theaters just three weeks after its release, resulting in a loss of $47 million. Director Martin Brest has not directed a film since the failure of 'Gigli.' The film was deemed the worst allegedly major movie of the young century by critics. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 6% on the Tomatometer. 'Gigli' was the last film directed by Martin Brest, who had previously directed successful movies like 'Beverly Hills Cop' and 'Scent of a Woman.' The final version of the film differed from Brest's original vision due to studio demands. The failure of 'Gigli' may have caused Brest to step back from directing. The film's fate has not deterred hopes that Brest will return to filmmaking in the future. [e7c579a4]
Meanwhile, in Bollywood, Ramesh Taurani, the producer of 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh,' revealed that the film was a huge financial failure despite winning two National Awards. The film, starring Ajay Devgn, was released in 2002 and faced tough competition from other Bhagat Singh films. Taurani mentioned that the film cost Rs 27 crore and only recovered Rs 5 crore, resulting in a loss of Rs 22 crore. Despite the financial loss, the film received critical acclaim and won several honors. Taurani also addressed rumors of a rift between him and director Rajkumar Santoshi, stating that they resolved their differences and went on to work on other projects together. According to Taurani, Ajay Devgn moved on to his next project with someone else after the failure of 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh,' which disappointed him. [fcf1c698]
Ramesh Taurani revealed that after the release of the film 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh' starring Ajay Devgn in 2002, which was a massive financial flop, he lost Rs 22 crores. Taurani mentioned that the film faced competition from other Bhagat Singh films, including one starring Sonu Sood that released a week before, and another starring Sunny and Bobby Deol. Despite the critical acclaim and winning several awards, the film was a huge financial loss for the company. Taurani also expressed his disappointment that Ajay Devgn moved on to his next project with someone else after the failure of 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh.' [b2a0619b]