The Girlfriend Box Office: Rashmika’s Film Faces Harsh Week 1 Reality

What The Girlfriend’s ₹11.25 Crore Week 1 Collections Reveal About Audience Demand

Rashmika Mandanna’s new film, The Girlfriend, finished its first week in theatres yesterday. The movie, which was released on November 7, 2025, has been a big topic of discussion. It is a serious drama about a toxic relationship, which is a new type of role for the star.

After seven days, the box office numbers are in, and they tell a very interesting story. According to The Times of India, the film has collected approximately ₹11.25 Crores (India Nett) in its first full week. This collection reveals a lot about what the audience wants to see right now. The answer is: they are interested, but they are also very careful.

The Story of Week 1: A Slow Start, a Big Jump, and a Steady Hold

The film’s 7-day collection was not a straight line. It was a rollercoaster that showed exactly how the audience demand worked.

1. The Opening Day: Low Demand

On Day 1 (Friday), the film collected only about ₹1.3 Crores. This was a very slow start. For a star as big as Rashmika Mandanna, this number was low. It shows that the audience was not sold on the movie from the trailers alone. They decided to wait and listen to reviews from the first shows.

2. The Weekend Jump: Demand Explodes

This is where the story changed. After the first-day reviews came out, the “word-of-mouth” was very strong. People praised Rashmika’s performance, calling it her “career-best.”

• Day 2 (Saturday): Collections jumped by over 80% to ₹2.4 Crores.
• Day 3 (Sunday): The film collected its highest, around ₹2.7 Crores.

This huge jump proves one thing: the demand was not for the idea of the film, but for the quality of the film. The positive audience talk directly created demand.

3. The Weekday Test: Demand is Stable

The real test for any film is Monday. The Girlfriend passed this test.

• Day 4 (Monday): ₹1.15 Crores
• Day 5 (Tuesday): ₹1.30 Crores
• Day 6 (Wednesday): ₹1.30 Crores
• Day 7 (Thursday): ₹1.10 Crores

The collections did not crash. They remained steady, floating above the ₹1 Crore mark. This is a very strong sign. It means the film found its target audience. This audience, which likes serious dramas, continued to watch the film even on working days.

The Big Problem: The Budget vs. The Collection

While the stable collections are good, there is a big challenge. According to Koimoi reports, the budget of The Girlfriend is approximately ₹42 Crores.

• Week 1 Collection: ₹11.25 Crores
• Budget: ₹42 Crores
• Recovery So Far: The film has only recovered about 27% of its budget from theatres.

This is where the demand becomes a problem. The demand is stable, but it is not big enough. A ₹42 Crore budget is very high for a female-led drama. To be a “Hit,” the film needs to collect over ₹45-50 Crores. At its current speed, it will be very difficult to reach that number.

The steady collections show that a niche audience loves the film. But the high budget needed a much wider audience, which did not arrive.

What This Reveals About Today’s Audience

1. Stars Don’t Guarantee Openings: The low Day 1 proves that even a top star like Rashmika cannot pull a huge crowd just on her name. The content must be exciting.
2. Word-of-Mouth is King: The weekend jump is 100% due to good audience reviews. This shows that demand can be created after release if the film is genuinely good.
3. Content is Selective: The audience has shown demand for this film, but it is a slow-and-steady demand. They are not rushing. This is very different from the demand for a big action movie like KGF or Jawan.
4. High Budgets are Dangerous: The biggest lesson is about the budget. The demand for a serious drama is not the same as for a mass-action film. A high budget of ₹42 Crores put too much pressure on the movie.

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BoxOfficeWala Opinion

“The first week of The Girlfriend is a classic “Operation Successful, Patient Died” case. The operation—making a good film with a powerful performance—was a success. The audience demand proves that.

But the patient—the box office verdict—is in trouble because of the high budget. A collection of ₹11.25 Crores in one week is respectable for this genre. But not when the budget is ₹42 Crores.

The demand for this film is real, but it is limited to an urban, multiplex audience that likes intense dramas. This audience is not big enough to save a high-budget film. The movie will struggle to be an ‘Average’ film at the box office. It will depend on its OTT and satellite deals to make a profit.”