With a screen count of 3200, the film was expected to open to a huge 12 crore box office collection, but instead with the poor reviews and initial word of mouth on social media, the film tanked right on Day 1 and raked in only about half the amount that was predicted. So what about the movie did not work? For starters, the film was touted to be an out and out comedy, but it failed to make people laugh. That was the biggest disappointment for the audience.
Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh came out of the theatre absolutely disappointed. “Rohit Shetty has set the bar very high,” he says. “If you look at his body of work, he’s made some great entertainers including Simmba and Sooryavanshi. But this was nowhere close to what he’s made. And especially with a comedy comedy, you have to laugh, right? Only the characters on screen were laughing. The audience has to laugh, that was missing.”
The general sentiment of the audience and the critics alike is that Cirkus lacks entertainment which is supposed to be the USP of Rohit Shetty’s films. The trailer itself was misleading. Adarsh notes, “The trailer did not get the response that was needed, it just misfired. There was heavy criticism. So the first impression was lost. Secondly, not enough buzz was created around Ranveer Singh and Christmas release. Even the song featuring Deepika Padukone did not become a rage.”
A section of the audience even drew comparisons with other box office disaster films of 2022 like Heropanti 2, Satyameva Jayate 2 and Rashtra Kavach OM stating that these films were so bad that you could actually burst into laughter in the intense moments; alas, the same could not be said about Cirkus. Netizens tagged Rohit Shetty’s film as ‘lazy, hollow and absolutely painful’!
The great thing about movies like #Heropanti2 #SatyamevaJayate2 & #RashtraKavachOM is that they are SO BAD that you… https://t.co/XvugDxDS5U
— ANMOL JAMWAL (@jammypants4) 1671852600000
#Cirkus what I expected from rohit shetty is just entertainment like his films have but this is his weakest, poores… https://t.co/pd1mc0bAWw
— Bhaskar B (@Bhaskar58500760) 1671865855000
Isse bekar Circus ni dekhi aaj tak..Disappointing Rare one from #RohitShetty#Cirkus #CirkusMovie #CirkusReview
— Gagan Deep (@ergagan59) 1671863715000
Watched #Cirkus only Sanjay M. & his sidekick manage to make u laugh, that too partially. 1st half is humourless, 2… https://t.co/Ph40kBRLe5
— Agent007 (@Rishiii007) 1671861547000
“The only good parts about the film were Sanjay Mishra and Siddharth Jadhav who had few good punches. Ranveer, it seems, should kiss goodbye to the comedy genre. His performance is easily forgettable and there is nothing outstanding to talk about. Pooja Hegde and Jacqueline Fernandes have hardly anything in the film for people to register their presence. King of comedy Johnny Lever seems to be wasted in the film. Cirkus seems like such a poor adaptation of Angoor, it would have been better to not claim so in the first place,” says an insider who saw the film in the theatre.
Film critic, producer and trade analyst Girish Wankhede calls Cirkus an ‘overconfident venture’. “It is like taking the audience for granted, nothing serious is seen in any department. The film lacks a coherent screenplay and the entire premise looks too colourful and loud. The caricatures of characters are too loud and filmy. It’s an insult to Angoor and in fact, Shakespeare. The characterisation is a big flaw and the climax is flat. No big car clashes, no air jumps , no chases, no action and no trademark Rohit Shetty style is a big let down. Music is also a big let down. No Lungi Dance and no Aankh Mare in the film which is dull with no electrifying effect, pun intended.”
