Taapsee Pannu and Anubhav Sinha’s courtroom drama Assi got off to a rough start on its opening day, Friday, February 20, 2026. Despite strong critical reception and a powerful subject matter, the film collected an estimated ₹0.70 Cr to ₹1.00 Cr net in India on Day 1 — well below pre-release trade expectations of ₹1.50–₹2.00 Cr. The muted opening can be attributed to low theatrical occupancy, which stood at just 6.01% overall on Day 1, with morning shows recording 3.88% and afternoon shows at 7.24%. It became one of Taapsee Pannu’s weakest solo openers to date, trailing behind both Mulk (₹1.70 Cr opening) and Thappad (₹3.07 Cr opening).
Now, on its second day — Saturday, February 21, 2026 — the early trends are being closely watched by the trade. Weekends typically bring in higher footfalls for content-driven films, and Assi is no exception to that pattern. Early Saturday occupancy indicators suggest a mild uptick compared to Friday, which is fairly standard for niche, issue-based films that rely almost entirely on word of mouth. The positive critical buzz — with many calling it a hard-hitting and emotionally resonant film — does give it a fighting chance for a modest recovery over the first weekend. However, the numbers remain far below what the film needs to recoup its ₹40 Cr budget.
The competition at the box office is not particularly fierce — Do Deewane Seher Mein, which released alongside Assi on Friday, has also had a flat opening around ₹0.90 Cr net on Day 1. Shahid Kapoor’s O’Romeo continues to run in its second week. The overall February theatrical environment has remained sluggish for Bollywood, and unless Assi builds strong word-of-mouth momentum through the weekend, its box office journey could remain confined to a modest niche run.
Assi Day 2 Box Office Collection in India
| Day | Collection (India Net) | Fluctuation (%+/-) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 — 1st Friday (Feb 20, 2026) | ₹0.70–1.00 Cr* | — |
| Day 2 — 1st Saturday (Feb 21, 2026) | ₹1.00–1.40 Cr* | +30% to +40% (est.) |
*Early estimates. Official figures subject to revision.
2 Days India Net Collection: ₹1.70–2.40 Cr (est.)
2 Days India Gross Collection: ₹2.00–2.85 Cr (est.)
2 Days Overseas Collection: ₹0.10–0.20 Cr (est.)
2 Days Worldwide Collection: ₹1.80–3.00 Cr (est.)
Budget: ₹40 Cr (approx.)
About Assi and Future Prediction
Assi is a Hindi courtroom drama directed by Anubhav Sinha and produced by T-Series (Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar) and Benaras Mediaworks. The film stars Taapsee Pannu as Advocate Raavi, a lawyer who takes up the case of Parima (Kani Kusruti), a school teacher who survives a brutal gang rape and fights for justice in a legal system riddled with failures and social silence. The ensemble cast includes Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Revathi, Seema Pahwa, Supriya Pathak, and Naseeruddin Shah. The screenplay is penned by Gaurav Solanki, who previously wrote Article 15. Anubhav Sinha and Taapsee Pannu have previously collaborated on Mulk (2018) and Thappad (2020), both of which were critically acclaimed and performed modestly at the box office.
Looking ahead, Assi’s box office trajectory will largely depend on how strongly the film trends through the first weekend. Social media response and audience reviews after the first few shows on Friday have been largely positive — viewers seem to appreciate the film’s unflinching approach to a deeply uncomfortable subject. If that positive word of mouth translates into higher Saturday and Sunday numbers, the film could realistically build toward a ₹5–8 Cr opening weekend, giving it some breathing room. However, with a budget of ₹40 Cr, the film will need a strong sustained weekday run — and perhaps a boost from digital conversations — to move toward any kind of profitable finish.
Longer-term, films of this nature often find their second life on OTT platforms, where Anubhav Sinha’s previous works have performed quite well. Assi has the content quality to do exactly that, but the theatrical window will remain challenging unless the momentum picks up meaningfully from Day 2 onwards. Trade watchers will be keeping a close eye on Saturday and Sunday occupancy numbers to assess whether Assi can cross the ₹10 Cr mark in its first week — a threshold that would at least signal some degree of audience engagement with this difficult but important subject.
Disclaimer:
- Box office figures in this article are independently estimated by Tenvow based on an internal tracking methodology that evaluates theatre occupancy trends, distributor feedback, and regional trade indicators.
- The data reflects industry estimates available at the time of publication and may vary slightly from officially reported or audited figures released later.
- These figures should be considered preliminary and indicative, not official confirmations.
- Tenvow does not guarantee absolute accuracy of the data and presents it solely for informational purposes.
- All financial figures are stated in Indian Rupees (INR) and represented in crores, unless specified otherwise.
- All dates and times mentioned follow Indian Standard Time (IST) (UTC +5:30).
