A dacoit drama after decades. Ranbir Kapoor after four years in a film produced by the prestigious banner Yash Raj Films….It couldn’t get any posher than Shamshera in the movie theatres. The collections, however, have shocked the film industry, already reeling under a heap of flops.

The opening day’s figures were a meagre Rs 10 crores, the lowest ever for a Ranbir Kapoor starrer. And it did not get any better on Day 2. By Sunday theatres in many parts of the country had to cancel shows.

To what factors do we owe this abysmal box office performance of one of the most costly productions of the year?

Says trade analyst Amod Mehra, “The verdict is out. Bunty Aur Babli 2, Jayeshbhai Jordaar, Samrat Prithviraj and now Shamshera. Fourth disaster in a row from for Yash Raj Films. To resurrect his banner, Aditya Chopra must throw out his chamchas, grant himself a sabbatical leave, reinvent himself, direct a film he sincerely believes in. Dacoit films were accepted in the 1980s mainly because the revenue from single screens and B & C centres were BIG.. today B&C class centres have vanished and most single screens are shut. That automatically makes a film like Shamshera outdated.. plus instead of promoting the film YRF was concentrating on promoting Ranbir Kapoor with his dogs etc. That sent wrong signals.”