Maa Box Office Collection Day 1: Kajol’s new supernatural horror drama Maa released in theatres on June 27, 2025 with enormous expectations placed on both her star power and the film’s thematic link to Shaitaan, the 2024 blockbuster that reshaped modern Bollywood horror. Early box office trends indicate a much more tepid reception than expected. Maa has grossed around ₹1.73 crore net on its first day of release. This figure, while an improvement on Kajol’s last release Salaam Venky, is way below trade expectations, which had estimated an opening of around ₹4–6 crore.
Maa Box Office Collection Day 1
From the beginning, the film had a hard time attracting large attendance. Opening Day occupancy came in at a little over 8% for the morning shows, with modest gains in the afternoon and evening shows leading to a Day 1 occupancy of approximately 14%. This is a paltry sum for a Bollywood film with a wide release, let alone one featuring a star of Kajol’s stature and a long career, especially in a lead role. Despite advance bookings and pre-release buzz that indicated an opening closer to the ₹40 cr mark, the turnout indicates a case of the film not being able to translate the intrigue into tickets, possibly thanks to negative WOM or tough competition from other current releases like Sitaare Zameen Par and Housefull 5.
Comparing Maa and Shaitaan’s Release
Shaitaan, which came out in March 2024, blew up the box office with an opening day collection of almost ₹15 crore. Starring Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan, Shaitaan didn’t just hit that holiday sweet spot the uplanned Diwali release but hit a powerful touchpoint by introducing more psychological suspense into the mainstream horror arena, tapping into its energy for a positively electric box office run. Its opening is still one of the best ever for a Bollywood horror, and Maa looks nowhere close to matching that kind of spell. Indeed, the Kajol starrer has only fetched around one-ninth of Shaitaan’s Day 1 collections, bringing out the contrast vividly.
Three reasons might shed light on untapped opportunities hidden in that gap. For starters, Shaitaan benefitted from a shrewd release on the Maha Shivratri weekend, whereas Maa opened on a typical Friday with no holiday buffer. Secondly, Shaitaan introduced a new combination and an exciting story that drew eyeballs from the start, while Maa, although it had a mythological horror concept to it, probably didn’t have the same storytelling impact. Additionally, the mixed-to-negative critical reception may have taken the wind out of those first day sails, as audiences showed up looking less like the curious and more like the cautious.
Sitaare Zameen Par Box Office Collection Day 7: Aamir Khan’s film shines with Rs 88.69 crore
Can Maa Shine Out In Coming Days?
Of course, the most pressing question is whether Maa can build momentum through the weekend. Though an evening and Sunday footfall surge can never be ruled out, the film would have to see tremendous recoveries to take even a rosily optimistic box office take to anywhere close to safe territory. Without the benefit of strong word-of-mouth or a viral element like Shaitaan had, Maa might find it difficult to stay on the radar past its opening weekend.
Overall, again going by Day 1 trends, Maa is clearly not in the same league as Shaitaan on the box office performance front. Though Kajol’s return to horror is welcome and the film may find a loyal audience in the days to come, commercially, it looks to be off to a lackluster and slow start at best. Short of the narrative miraculously resonating with audiences, the film’s road to success is likely to be marred by the same comic book movie universe it had hoped to build off on.
