Last week's releases, Yodha and Bastar, were both action movies. While the former is a fictionalised account of a special task force that takes on foreign terrorists, the latter is based on true events and is about tacking the terror within.
Yodha saw a decent weekend of Rs 17.50 crore* (Rs 175 million) at the box office.
Given its scale and setting, also the fact that it is a larger-than-life actioner made for the big screen, a higher number would have been better. That said, the good part is that it is not a non-starter, which is a real threat for so many movies today.
The Sidharth Malhotra starrer started with Rs 4.25 crore (Rs 42.5 million) on Friday and then grew well on the weekend with the BOGO (Buy One Get One) ticket offer.
As a result, Rs 6.01 crore (Rs 60.1 million) was collected on Saturday and Sunday saw a further jump in numbers.
Though Yodha is getting decent reviews, it has come at a time when action entertainers with geopolitical themes have been in abundance. The film is also facing huge competition from Shaitaan, which is doing superbly even in its second week.
That's not all. Hollywood’s Kung Fu Panda 4 has come out of nowhere and is collecting some good moolah at the box office.
Bastar's weekend numbers were under the Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) mark.
Coming from the team of the blockbuster The Kerala Story -- Producer Vipul Shah, Director Sudipto Sen and Leading Lady Adah Sharma -- one would have expected some sort of a start. Surprisingly, the film didn’t even see a proper release, with just a show or two screening.
Average reviews gave the film a tougher ride.
The film that is enjoying a wonderful ride though, is Shaitaan.
After collecting Rs 81.60 crore (Rs 816 million) in its first week, it has close to Rs 25 crore (Rs 250 million) coming in the second weekend. That’s simply superb because it has become a Rs 100 Crore Club (Rs 1 billion) hit with so much more yet to come.
The Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan and Jyotika starrer has collected over Rs 106 crore (Rs 1.06 billion) already.
The next big releases -- Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan -- will arrive during Eid, which leaves a lot of time for Shaitaan to earn lifetime collections in the range of Rs 140-150 crore (Rs 1.4-1.5 billion).
*Estimates. Final numbers awaited.
Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources.
