Shockingly Low Occupancy! Deva Struggles to Find an Audience

In Bollywood’s high-stakes game, a film’s fate is much like a game of dice sometimes it lands in your favor, and sometimes it rolls away. For Pooja Hegde, Deva was supposed to be her redemption after the back-to-back failures of Cirkus and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. However, after two years of anticipation, Deva has hit the screens, only to be met with shockingly low numbers, further deepening her box-office woes.

According to early estimates, Deva collected just ₹4.65 crore nett across India on its opening day—an alarming figure for a star-led film. Despite releasing in nearly 12,000 shows, it registered a disastrous 8% occupancy, signaling weak audience interest. In key markets like Mumbai and Delhi, where mass entertainers usually thrive, the response was lukewarm at best. The lack of a strong pre-release buzz, underwhelming promotions, and a weak music album have all contributed to its sluggish start. Overseas numbers have also been underwhelming, with collections failing to pick up in major international markets.

Now, all eyes are on Deva’s weekend performance. With Sky Force also struggling, the film has an open window to gain momentum, but with such a low starting point, the climb will be steep. The film, a remake of Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Mumbai Police, is directed by Malayalam filmmaker Rosshan Andrews and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur. If Saturday and Sunday don’t bring significant growth, Deva risks being another forgettable outing in Pooja’s career.

Despite this setback, Pooja Hegde isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. She has two Tamil films, Retro and Jana Nayagan, along with a Bollywood project, Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, lined up. However, with her recent string of flops, the pressure is mounting. If her next projects don’t deliver, she may find herself fading from Bollywood’s A-list, leaving Deva as yet another reminder of how unpredictable stardom can be.