Amid the criticism surrounding Alpha, filmmaker Karan Johar has come out in support of the film, praising Yash Raj Films, producer Aditya Chopra and his “godchild” Alia Bhatt for what he called her “undebatable” screen presence. With Alpha opening to over Rs 16 crore worldwide, Karan took to his Instagram Stories to congratulate the team and slam the negativity surrounding the film.His note read, “When footfalls are a challenge, ALPHA takes a solid start! It emphasises many things… the audience is way above online negativity and they are the true warriors… the stardom and theatrical pull and unquestionable talent of Alia Bhatt and the impact of a big-screen spectacle is undebatable. YRF has continued to build franchises and create theatrical tentpole experiences that deserve our applause, not toxicity! So please relax and celebrate that cinemas are breathing! Go watch ALPHA and stop doom-scrolling.” Karan Johar Instagram StoriesAccording to industry tracker Sacnilk, Alpha collected an estimated Rs 9.25 crore net in India on its opening day across 7,534 shows. This took its India gross to Rs 11.10 crore, while the overseas market contributed approximately Rs 5 crore, pushing its worldwide gross to Rs 16.10 crore. The film recorded an overall occupancy of around 20%.On Day 2, the film had earned an estimated Rs 3 crore net in India by the time of reporting across 3,548 shows, with an occupancy of 16%. It remains to be seen whether the film can surpass its opening-day numbers by the end of the day.ALSO READ | Aamir Khan and Gauri Spratt Wedding Live Updates: Aamir says it’s a ‘gharelu’ ceremonyDirected by Shiv Rawail, Alpha marks the first female-led instalment in YRF’s Spy Universe. While Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif and Kiara Advani have previously portrayed spies in films such as Pathaan, the Tiger franchise and War 2, respectively, Alpha is the first standalone female-led spy film from the franchise. Alpha also stars Sharvari Wagh, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol in lead roles.The film has received mixed reviews from audiences, with many calling it a one-time watch. While several viewers have praised the action sequences and Alia Bhatt’s performance, others have criticised the screenplay, saying the writing makes the plot unnecessarily confusing.Story continues below this adAt the time of writing, Alpha holds a rating of 2.9/10 on IMDb. Meanwhile, actor Divya Khosla, who had earlier criticised Alia Bhatt’s Jigra, appeared to take another dig at the actress over Alpha’s box office performance. Sharing a post on Instagram, she wrote, “Went to Citi Mall PVR for Alpha show. Theatre was totally empty. All theatres are going empty everywhere. Alia Bhatt mein sach mein bahaut Alpha hai… khud hi tickets kharide aur fake collections announce kar diye… wonder why paid media is silent.”