Ground Zero Box Office collection Day 1: Emraan Hashmi starrer off to a moderate start amid real-world Pahalgam terror attack

Ground Zero, the Emraan Hashmi-led action thriller based on the real-life story of BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, opened in theatres this Friday. However, according to the advance booking trends, the film has seen a rather lukewarm response at the box office.
The film, produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under Excel Entertainment, has generated minimal pre-release buzz and is lacking the kind of excitement that typically drives strong opening day numbers. Despite the film's strong content and rooted narrative, early indicators suggest a modest start at the box office.
According to a report on koimoi, trade analysts estimate the Hashmi-starrer will earn between Rs 1 to Rs 2 crore net on Day 1 in India.

If the projection holds, it would mark one of Hashmi’s weakest openings in the post-COVID era—second only to Chehre, which had debuted with just Rs 50 lakh.
The figures are being attributed to multiple factors — the most recent being the Pahalgam terror attack, which has cast a shadow over public sentiment in the Kashmir Valley. While some believe that the current atmosphere may have deterred audiences from watching the film so closely tied to themes of terrorism and national security, others feel the film may just benefit from the current scenario.
Directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, Ground Zero centres on the 2003 counter-terrorism operation that led to the elimination of Ghazi Baba, the mastermind behind the 2001 Parliament and Akshardham Temple attacks. Emraan steps into the role of BSF Commandant Dubey in what has been described as one of his most grounded and restrained performances to date.
Despite a relatively low turnout, the film has been praised for avoiding hyper-nationalistic tropes.
Advance booking for the weekend remains slow but steady, with analysts predicting a gradual increase in metropolitan regions. The silver lining, lies in the lack of major competition. With no major Bollywood clashes, the film has a fair chance to find its footing if it can capitalise on positive word-of-mouth over the weekend.