Kunal Khemu's action-comedy, also starring Preity Zinta and Sparsh Shrivastava, has now made an estimated ₹7.45 crore net in India across three days.
Vibe isn't collapsing. It just isn't taking off either.
Kunal Khemu's directorial, which opened in theatres on September 18, added an estimated ₹3 crore net on Day 3, according to data tracked by Sacnilk. That's a 9.1% jump over Day 2's ₹2.75 crore, and it pushes the film's total India net collection to roughly ₹7.45 crore. Gross collections in India stand at ₹8.94 crore. The Sunday numbers came off 2,839 shows nationwide.
So the trend line is pointing up, barely. But context matters here. Reports peg the film's budget at ₹35 crore, which means three days in, Vibe has recovered a little over a fifth of what it reportedly cost to make. A weekend bump is expected for most films. What decides the fate of a mid-budget theatrical release like this one is what happens next, when the discounted weekday ticket prices meet whatever word of mouth has actually built up.
And the word of mouth here is mixed at best. Khemu has written, produced, directed and starred in Vibe, sharing screen space with Preity Zinta and Sparsh Shrivastava, while Vanshika Dhir makes her acting debut in the film. The story follows two friends who stumble into a terrorist plot they're spectacularly unequipped to handle, playing it for comedy and chaos rather than tension.
Critics have been lukewarm rather than harsh. The Free Press Journal's review gave the film 2.5 stars, calling it "enjoyable in parts, especially during its first half," with Khemu and Shrivastava making "the journey watchable." The same review flagged a stretched second half and uneven writing as the drag on an otherwise breezy setup, concluding that fans of commercial entertainers mixing action, comedy and drama "may find a few entertaining moments here."
That's not a pan. It's also not the kind of review that sends audiences rushing back for a second watch, and box office numbers on a Rs 35 crore film need more than curiosity viewing to work.
The real test starts now. Weekday collections for mid-range releases typically fall off a cliff without strong buzz, and Vibe will need sustained growth through the week just to inch toward recovering its budget, let alone turn a profit. Whether the modest Day 3 uptick was a one-off Sunday effect or the start of something steadier should become clear by the time the first full week wraps.
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