While fans of Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan are expressing disappointment over the disastrous performance of Neelofar, released this week, Pakistani filmmakers are equally concerned. The two stars have long been considered reliable box office draws, especially after the worldwide success of The Legend of Maula Jatt, which greatly boosted their commercial value. However, following Neelofar’s poor performance, industry insiders believe that Mahira Khan’s career may have taken a severe hit, with some even suggesting it might be “almost finished.”
Fawad Khan, despite facing three consecutive box office failures, is still expected to receive further opportunities. Yet, trade analysts now argue that his star power is no longer a guaranteed success formula for Pakistani cinema.
Fawad’s recent flops include Pakistani film Money Back Guarantee, this year’s Bollywood release Aabeer Gulaal, and now Neelofar, all of which fall under the category of major box office disasters.
Interestingly, despite serving as the film’s executive producer, Fawad Khan reportedly did not want Neelofar to be released. This reluctance contributed to years of delay. Eventually, after negotiations between the producers and the director, the film was finalized and released worldwide on 28 November with extensive marketing and promotional campaigns.
The production budget of Neelofar is reported to be PKR 18 crore, while an additional PKR 20 crore was spent on promotion. Despite its release in Pakistan, the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, the UAE, and Gulf countries, the film received a disappointing response both domestically and overseas.
According to Box Office Pakistan, Neelofar earned only PKR 11.6 crore worldwide in its first six days of release. In Pakistan, the film opened poorly, an unexpected outcome for trade experts. It collected merely PKR 8.5 million on the opening day. Collections improved slightly on the second day to PKR 1.2 crore, followed by PKR 1.05 crore on Sunday. By the end of the first weekend, the film had earned only PKR 3.1 crore domestically.
Following the weekend, the film’s business dropped even further. Over six days, Neelofar managed a total domestic collection of PKR 4.66 crore. Based on these figures, it is not difficult to conclude that Neelofar stands as one of the biggest box office disasters of the decade.
Industry observers cite several reasons for the failure. Despite a star-studded cast and heavy promotions, the makers failed to generate genuine hype around the film. Additionally, the reviews and reactions that went viral on social media following its grand premiere in Lahore also contributed to its downfall.
