1. The first film of the trilogy starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, titled Brahmastra, has received muted reviews from critics and moviegoers.
2. Shares of PVR and Inox, India's two largest cinema chains, have plummeted due to negative reviews.
3. The film, which has an ensemble cast, has reportedly been in production for years and has a 410 crore rupee budget.

Instead of recouping its investment, it appears like Brahmastra is suing PVR and Inox investors alongside itself. The biggest theatre chains in India, PVR and Inox, collectively lost over 800 crore in market capitalization today after early reviews doomed Brahmastra's chances.

According to Indian mythology, the Brahmastra is a destructive weapon that can only be halted by its retaliatory astra (weapon). Ironically, the movie might become the target of the firearm it is named for.
Despite strong advance reservations of 23 crore, Brahmastra debuted to muted reviews. The Ranbir-Alia starrer received a two-star rating from critic and analyst Taran Adarsh, who called it a "king-sized failure."

The Hindi film industry's expectations for a comeback may be dashed if Brahmastra fails, making it one of the biggest Bollywood bombs at a time when multiple South Indian films have set records across the country.

Brahmastra, a film produced by Karan Johar with a 410 crore rupee budget, stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Tollywood actor Nagarjuna, and even Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo. This is essentially a who's who list of the most powerful actors in Indian cinema.

Analysts predict that, despite the money invested in making this movie, which has already been delayed for a number of years, it may only end up earning less than half of what was invested.

According to a media note by Elara Capital, "The lifetime box office (collection) for the picture is expected to be in a wide range of 130-200 crore, based on the significant advancements." This investigation was conducted prior to the influx of negative reviews.

If Karan Johar and company wanted to replicate the enchantment of films like RRR on a big screen, they might have to try again.
Interesting insights were also made by some observers. After seeing the film today, one fan remarked, "It's basically a badly written Crime Patrol episode lines (sic), coupled with a really lousy Ekta Kapoor plot."

Beyond the visual effects, a different viewer claimed that the film suffered from poor story-telling, poor character development, and other problems.

Not everyone, though, thought the film was a letdown.

According to Karan Taurani of Elara Capital, "We think good word of mouth and audience acceptance can help the film breach the upper end." However, it appears that the initial group of unsatisfied viewers is disseminating the negative feedback.