Skip to content
Poster of Kunal Kemmu's film Vibe showing the lead cast against a vibrant city backdropPhoto via Koimoi

Kunal Kemmu’s ‘Vibe’ Struggles to Match ‘Madgaon Express’ Earnings

Day 11 sees the comedy pulling in just 13.8 crore net domestically, far short of its predecessor and still far from recouping its 35‑crore budget.

By Day One2 min read

In this story

Current hype level62

Live site hype

around 6 reading right now · 722 today

Numbers that tell the story

Vibe opened on 17 September with a modest 1.7 crore intake. By its eleventh day the film’s domestic net had climbed to 13.8 crore, translating to roughly 16.3 crore gross when taxes are added. Overseas earnings sit at 2.05 crore, pushing the worldwide total just over 18 crore.

A sharp dip on the second Monday – 0.25 crore net, a 72 % fall from the previous Monday – signalled the beginning of a slowdown. The drop isn’t unusual for a mid‑budget comedy, but the pace has left the film trailing its debut directorial, Madgaon Express, by a wide margin.

Budget reality check

Vibe was made on a reported 35 crore slate. With a net of 13.8 crore, the picture has reclaimed only about 39 % of that outlay. By contrast, Madgaon Express closed its run with a domestic net of 36.81 crore, comfortably crossing the break‑even line.

Industry trackers note the 62 % gap between the two films, underscoring how the sequel‑ish expectations haven’t materialised for Kemmu’s latest effort.

Critical buzz vs box‑office pulse

Reviews have been mixed‑to‑positive, with many praising the comic timing and the surprise return of Preity Zinta in a breezy cameo. Yet audience footfall hasn’t kept pace, and the film’s momentum appears to be waning as the weekend crowd moves on.

The road ahead

The next big hurdle arrives on 2 October when Drishyam 3 hits screens nationwide. Analysts predict that the thriller’s star power will siphon away the remaining audience, making a box‑office resurgence for Vibe unlikely.

For now, Kemmu’s second directorial sits at the crossroads of modest earnings and stiff competition. Whether the film can claw back enough to avoid a loss will depend on its performance in smaller towns and any potential TV or streaming deals that might follow.

The coming weeks will reveal if Vibe can at least scrape a respectable return or if it will join the list of well‑intentioned comedies that fell short of their financial targets.

Reported from

This article was written by the CutMirchi desk from the reporting above. Facts are attributed to their original publishers.

What did you make of it?

Be the first to comment

Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.

    Read next