Patna: Emraan Hashmi’s latest film, Ground Zero, had a subdued start at the box office, earning approximately Rs 1 crore on its opening day, April 25, 2025. Despite a wide release and minimal competition, the film struggled to attract audiences, with morning shows recording an occupancy rate of just 4.71% and evening shows reaching 14.06%.
Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, Ground Zero is based on the true story of a 2003 counter-terrorism operation led by BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey to eliminate Ghazi Baba, the mastermind behind the 2001 Parliament and Akshardham Temple attacks. Hashmi portrays Dubey in what has been described as one of his most grounded performances to date .
Produced by Excel Entertainment, the film had an estimated budget of Rs 50 crore, including prints and advertising costs. Industry analysts had projected an opening day collection between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2 crore, but the actual earnings fell short of expectations .
The film faces stiff competition from other recent releases. Kesari Chapter 2, starring Akshay Kumar, earned an estimated Rs 4.15 crore on the same day, pushing its total domestic earnings to over Rs 50 crore. Jaat, featuring Sunny Deol and Randeep Hooda, also outperformed Ground Zero, collecting approximately Rs 90 lakh on Friday .
Ground Zero faces an uphill battle to recover its production costs. The coming weekend will be crucial in determining the film’s box office trajectory.
