Shiv Rawail’s Alpha hit theatres on July 3. Starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, the film marks the first female-led entry in the YRF Spy Universe. While Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone have previously been part of the franchise, Alpha is the first film to place female spies at the centre of the narrative. Interestingly, the film also marks another first for the YRF Spy Universe- it ends without a post-credit scene.
That’s right! If you are planning to watch the film, you need not stay back through the end credits expecting an additional scene. Until now, every YRF Spy Universe film featured a post-credit scene that either teased an upcoming installment or revealed an important connection to another film in the franchise. For instance, the Alia Bhatt-starrer itself was first teased through the post-credit scene of Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2. These scenes have traditionally generated excitement and anticipation for the future of the cinematic universe.
The End Of Spy Universe?
However, the makers’ decision to do away with a post-credit scene in Alpha has sparked speculation that the franchise could be nearing its end. So far, Yash Raj Films has not officially announced its future plans for the Spy Universe. Nevertheless, with War 2 underperforming at the box office and Alpha registering an underwhelming opening, the studio may be reassessing its roadmap for the franchise.
The YRF Spy Universe began in 2012 with Ek Tha Tiger, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film emerged as a major success and laid the foundation for one of Bollywood’s biggest cinematic universes. Over the years, the franchise expanded with stars such as Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Kiara Advani, Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, and now Alia Bhatt and Sharvari.
Following the massive success of Pathaan and the enthusiastic response to the crossover cameos featuring Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, reports suggested that YRF was developing an ambitious Tiger vs Pathaan. However, after the recent underperformance of the Spy Universe films and the way Dhurandhar has reshaped audience expectations for the spy genre, it appears the makers may have returned to the drawing board to recalibrate the franchise’s future.
Alpha Box Office Performance
Even before its release, industry expectations for Alpha remained modest due to weak pre-release buzz and sustained negativity surrounding the film on social media. Despite that, the film came close to a double-digit opening.
Moreover, Alpha recorded Alia Bhatt‘s 10th-biggest opening and registered the sixth-biggest opening for a female-led Bollywood film. Following the success of Dhurandhar, online sentiment towards the YRF Spy Universe had turned increasingly negative, and that skepticism was reflected to some extent among general audiences as well.
Even so, despite subdued promotions and mixed pre-release sentiment, Alpha managed a respectable start at the Indian box office by collecting an estimated 9.5 crore net on Day 1, translating to approximately 11.21 crore gross. In fact, the film outperformed several trade predictions, as many had expected it to open in the 5–7 crore net range.
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