Box office: 'Laal Singh Chaddha,' 'Raksha Bandhan' continue to underperform
All eyes were on the box office on August 11, since it marked the clash of two biggies: Akshay Kumar's Raksha Bandhan and Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha. Both films, understandably, are targeting the extended weekend opportunity, thanks to the festival of Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day. However, surprisingly, they haven't been able to perform up to their full potential so far. Let's dive in.
Why does this story matter?
For Khiladi Kumar, Raksha Bandhan must click, since his previous two outings this year, Bachchhan Paandey and Samrat Prithviraj drowned critically and commercially. Raksha Bandhan is also touted to be a family drama, a genre that has proved to work well in the Hindi belt. LSC, on the other hand, is Khan's comeback to celluloid after four years, and marks Naga Chaitanya's Hindi debut.
Neither 'LSC' nor 'Raksha Bandhan' could do well on Friday
Both the films opened to mixed reviews on Thursday and subsequently nosedived on Friday. While Advait Chandan's LSC's Day 2 collections are estimated to be about Rs. 7.50cr, Aanand L Rai's Raksha Bandhan grossed approximately Rs. 6.75cr. To note, LSC has also been battling with strong calls to boycott the film due to Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan's "controversial" statements in the past.
Both the films may earn well due to the weekend
Though trade analysts had predicted higher opening collections for both films, that, surprisingly, didn't come to pass. While LSC collected in the range of Rs. 11-12cr on Thursday, Raksha Bandhan minted about Rs. 8cr. These collections are lower than Kumar's previous two releases this year. However, with an extended weekend ahead of us, the figures are expected to climb on an upward trajectory soon.
This year, 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2' had the biggest Bollywood opening
Talking about the top Hindi films in terms of opening day collections, Kartik Aaryan has emerged at the top, with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 collecting Rs. 14.11cr. It's Aaryan's biggest career hit so far. This is followed by Bachchhan Paandey (Rs. 13.25cr). LSC has clinched the third spot, while the last two have gone to Samrat Prithviraj (Rs. 10.70cr) and Gangubai Kathiawadi (Rs. 10.50cr).
