O Romeo’s first-day box office numbers have landed, and honestly, they’re not what anyone expected. Shahid Kapoor’s much-hyped gangster romance, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, managed just about ₹8 to ₹8.5 crore nett on opening day. Not terrible, but for a film this expensive and widely released, it’s definitely on the softer side.

This is supposed to be a big one, Sajid Nadiadwala produced it, Shahid leads as Ustara (a lover who turns into a killing machine, set in 1995 Mumbai’s gritty underworld), and the cast is stacked. Triptii Dimri plays his anchor, and there’s a whole lineup of heavyweights: Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, and Disha Patani popping up in special roles. The trailer promised all the right things, punchy dialogues, gritty romance, moody violence, all in Bhardwaj’s signature style.

Critics are loving Shahid’s performance, some even call it his best yet. The trailer built up good buzz, at least among people who care about these things. But for some reason, that buzz never caught fire with the masses. Even the music, which should’ve been a huge draw, didn’t really take off. Vishal Bhardwaj composed it, Gulzar wrote the lyrics, Arijit Singh sang... and still, songs like Hum To Tere Hi Liye and Aashiqon Ki Colony just didn’t stick in people’s heads or on playlists.

And then there’s the release. O Romeo dropped on a massive number of screens, but its dark, urban vibe is a tough sell for the single-screen crowd. Multiplexes made more sense, but when you go that wide, you need a big opening. Instead, ₹8-8.5 crore looks pretty underwhelming.

Trade folks are already comparing O Romeo’s start to Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, which opened with about ₹7 crore in 2024, but that was a much smaller, safer bet. O Romeo cost way more, so expectations were higher. Now, the pressure’s on, the movie needs to pick up serious steam over the weekend. Romantic action flicks like this usually do better in the evenings, so there’s still a shot, especially with Valentine’s Day landing on Saturday.

Speaking of timing, the film had a golden opportunity: Valentine’s on Saturday, Maha Shivratri on Sunday, perfect for couples, perfect for families. But then, right in the middle of all that, the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match in Colombo threatens to suck away a huge chunk of the male audience on Sunday. That could wipe out any holiday boost from Shivratri.

Advance bookings weren’t awful. In fact, O Romeo was topping a few platforms just before release, but morning shows on day one were slow. There’s hope that good word-of-mouth and the holiday mood will kick in and save the weekend.

O Romeo needs a solid rebound on Saturday and a decent Sunday, even with the cricket match looming. If it pulls that off, maybe the performances, visuals, and Bhardwaj’s touch will help it recover and stick around. For now, though, the opening has put the film under pressure to prove itself.

Fans and trade analysts are going to be glued to the Saturday and Sunday numbers. The movie still has a shot despite the reviews are mixed, the Valentine’s weekend is here, and sometimes slow starts turn into surprise hits. But let’s be real: day one wasn’t the blastoff everyone hoped for. The next 48 hours will show if O Romeo can rally, connect with its audience, and live up to all that promise.