Maalik Movie 2025: Rajkummar Rao’s Gangster Film Off to a Slow Start

Rajkummar Rao’s new movie Maalik released in theatres this weekend. Known for his strong performances in small-town dramas and comedies, Rajkummar has stepped into a completely different space with Maalik. This time, he plays a ruthless gangster in an intense action thriller.

Maalik Movie 2025 Release Date

Maalik released in theatres this weekend. The film opened advance bookings on Wednesday afternoon, just a day and a half before its release. Despite Rajkummar Rao’s popularity and the action-packed promos, the bookings remained slow right until release day.

Maalik Movie 2025 Cast and Crew

Directed by: Pulkit
Lead actor: Rajkummar Rao as a gangster
Supporting cast: Manushi Chhillar, Prosenjit Chatterjee, and Saurabh Shukla

This is Rajkummar’s first action thriller film. The makers had positioned it as his massy debut to break away from his usual romantic or comic roles.

Maalik Movie 2025 Storyline

Maalik is an action thriller that follows the journey of a gangster. Rajkummar Rao’s character is shown as a ruthless and powerful man navigating the underworld. While detailed plot points remain under wraps to avoid spoilers, the film focuses on power struggles and revenge within gangster politics. This is a stark change from Rajkummar’s previous films where he often played relatable boy-next-door characters.

Maalik Movie 2025 Box Office Prediction

Trade analysts had expected Maalik to open well because of its genre. Action thrillers generally attract a strong opening, especially when promoted as a hero’s mass transformation. However, the reality has been quite different.

The film sold only 6,500 tickets in the three national cinema chains—PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis—by Thursday evening. This is considered very low, especially for a film that aimed to establish Rajkummar as a mass action hero. Even if sales picked up slightly overnight, the overall advance booking remained weak.

Maalik Movie 2025 Expected Opening Collection

According to trade insiders, Maalik is expected to earn ₹3-4 crore on opening day, but even these are optimistic estimates. More conservative predictions suggest that the film might not even cross ₹2 crore on its first day. This is quite low when compared to Rajkummar’s previous release.

His comedy film Bhool Chuk Maaf opened at ₹7.2 crore, which is more than double Maalik’s best estimates. Sunny Deol’s mid-budget action film Jaat opened at ₹9 crore, showing that the audience still appreciates traditional action thrillers, but Maalik might not achieve the same success.

Also Read: bhool chuk maaf release date

Maalik Movie 2025 Box Office Comparison

If Maalik earns under ₹2 crore on opening day, it will open at less than half of Bhool Chuk Maaf’s numbers and far below Jaat. Considering that Maalik is an action film, these figures are disappointing for the trade.

Maalik Movie 2025 Budget and Break-Even Target

Trade experts believe that Maalik needs to earn at least ₹60-70 crore domestically to be considered a hit. With such a slow start, it will be challenging for the film to achieve this target. Action films generally rely on strong weekend openings to build momentum, and Maalik’s low advance bookings have dampened these hopes.

Maalik Movie 2025 Trailer and Audience Reaction

The trailer showcased Rajkummar Rao in a raw and rugged gangster avatar. While it generated curiosity, it did not create the kind of buzz that mass action films usually need. Audience reactions online were mixed. Some appreciated Rajkummar’s performance in the trailer, while others felt the story looked predictable.

Where to Watch Maalik Movie 2025 Online

Currently, Maalik is running in theatres. There is no official announcement regarding its OTT release yet. Usually, films that do not perform strongly in theatres are released on streaming platforms within four to six weeks. Once announced, Maalik will be available for streaming on the platform tied up with the production house.