‘Checkmate’ box office collections day 4: Anoop Menon’s film only mints 24 lakhs

Anoop Menon’s latest thriller ‘Checkmate’ is struggling to find its footing at the box office, with the film collecting a modest Rs 24 lakhs worldwide over its first four days. The movie’s performance has been underwhelming, particularly in the Kerala Box Office (KBO), where it earned only Rs 1 lakh on its fourth day.

According to the Sacnilk website, ‘Checkmate’ garnered Rs 22 lakhs from India Net collections, with Rs 6 lakhs on its opening day being the highest single-day collection. The film peaked on day 2 with Rs 9 lakhs, but since then, it has seen a steady decline in day-wise collections.

Amid these disappointing figures, Anoop Menon has brought attention to an alarming issue affecting the industry: online ticket booking fraud. In a recent press interaction after watching ‘Checkmate’ in theatres, the actor-director expressed his concerns over misleading occupancy rates displayed online. According to Anoop Menon, these inflated numbers create a false impression of success, leading filmmakers to believe their films are performing well when, in reality, theater attendance is much lower.

“Bookings will be full, but there will be hardly 12 people in the theatre,” Menon remarked, highlighting the growing gap between online booking data and actual audience presence. This discrepancy is causing frustration among filmmakers who invest heavily in marketing and promotions, only to face financial setbacks.