Of the two films released this week, BHOOL BHULAIYAA 2 won the race by miles. It took a flying start in the multiplexes of the national chains to amass a fantastic total of Rs. 14 crore-plus. However, DHAAKAD proved a damp squib and couldn’t even net Rs. 50 lakh on the opening day!!

Jayeshbhai Jordaar has been rejected by the audience. It collected only Rs. 3.25 crore on its opening day. Collections increased by Rs. 0.75 crore on Saturday, and further by Rs. 0.75 crore more on Sunday so that the total for Saturday was Rs. 4 crore, and for Sunday was Rs. 4.75 crore. After the dismal Rs. 12 crore weekend, collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 1.45 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.05 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.90 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was only Rs. 4.40 crore. 1st week’s total: Rs. 16.40 crore.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (dubbed and original English versions) started its second weekend with a net collection of Rs. 2.70 crore on Friday. Collections for Saturday were nearly double those of Friday. The second day, therefore, closed at Rs. 5.20 crore. The jump in collections was not much on Sunday which, therefore, closed at Rs. 5.80 crore. After a weekend of Rs. 13.70 crore, collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday (Buddha Purnima partial holiday) – Rs. 2 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.65 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.60 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.45 crore. With a weekdays’ total of Rs. 6.70 crore, the second week closed at Rs. 20.40 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 122.40 crore.

Runway 34 collected only Rs. 3.25 crore in the third week. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 31.40 crore.

K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) netted Rs. 1.23 crore on the first day of the fifth weekend. Collections increased to Rs. 2.14 crore on Saturday, and to Rs. 2.98 crore on Sunday. Therefore, it collected Rs. 6.35 crore in the fifth weekend. Collections for the weekdays: Monday (partial holiday) – Rs. 1.24 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.95 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.90 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.81 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 3.90 crore. Hence the fifth week’s total was Rs. 10.25 crore. Grand total for 5 weeks: Rs. 430.95 crore.

Dharmaveer (Marathi) swept the box-office in Maharashtra in its first week. It collected Rs. 2.05 crore on the first day. Collections jumped by more than 50% on Saturday so that the day closed at Rs. 3.17 crore. The total for Sunday was Rs. 3.86 crore. Hence the first weekend closed at a phenomenal Rs. 9.08 crore! Collections were fantastic during the weekdays too: Monday – Rs. 1.65 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.20 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.02 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.92 crore. As the total for the weekdays was an exceptional Rs. 4.79 crore, the first week closed at an outstanding Rs. 13.87 crore!!

I Am Sorry (Marathi) bombed in the first week all over Maharashtra.

Samrenu (Marathi) failed to find patronage anywhere in Maharashtra in 1st week.

Sultan Shambhu Subhedar (Marathi) could not find many takers in the first week all over Maharashtra.

Surrshevat (Marathi) could not do anything substantial in the first week wherever released in Maharashtra.

Chandramukhi (Marathi) fared well in the third week too, in Maharashtra.

Sher Shivraj (Marathi) continued its victory march in 4th week also, in Maharashtra.

Kahevatlal Parivar (Gujarati) continued to score in 2nd week all over Gujarat.

Saunkan Saunkne (Punjabi) roared like a tiger at the Punjab box-office in 1st week. It also did very well in places like Delhi.

Marathi film Dharmaveer and Punjabi film Saunkan Saunkne have opened today (May 13) to fantastic houses. The Punjabi film is poised to become a blockbuster.

Mere Desh Ki Dharti could not do anything substantive in the first week because of almost zero awareness about its release. Collections were rather pathetic.

The Conversion bombed miserably in 1st week all over.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (dubbed and original English versions) did well in the first weekend but collections began to drop quite markedly during the weekdays. Still, it managed good collections for the first week and joined the Rs. 100-crore club. The first week started with a Friday total of Rs. 27.75 crore. Collections on Satuday and Sunday were Rs. 26.25 crore and Rs. 25 crore respectively. In this way, the first weekend closed at Rs. 79 crore! Collections for the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 8 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 6 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 5 crore, Thursday – Rs. 4 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was just Rs. 23 crore. In this way, the first week closed at Rs. 102 crore.

Runway 34 crashed in the second week after an uneventful 1st week. The second weekend commenced with a take of only Rs. 1 crore on Friday. Collections increased to Rs. 1.65 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 2.10 crore on Sunday. The second weekend’s total was, therefore, Rs. 4.75 crore only. Collections for the weekdays were rather dull: Monday – Rs. 0.60 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.60 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.55 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.50 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 2.25 crore. Total for 2nd week: Rs. 7 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 28.15 crore.

Heropanti 2 also dropped fast and furiously in the second week after a dull first week. It added barely Rs. 0.75 crore to its kitty in 2nd week, taking its grand total for 2 weeks to Rs. 22.40 crore.

K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) withstood the competition of new releases and managed very good collections in its fourth week too. The fourth weekend started with a take of Rs. 3.85 crore. The film crossed the Rs. 400-crore mark on Friday itself. Collections increased to Rs. 4.75 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 6.25 crore on Sunday. After a fourth weekend total of Rs. 14.85 crore, collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 2.35 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 2 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.85 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.70 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 7.90 crore. Total for the fourth week: Rs. 22.75 crore. Grand total for 4 weeks (29 days): Rs. 420.70 crore.

Dil Dimag Aur Batti (Marathi) failed miserably in the first week in Maharashtra.

Bharat Majha Desh Aahe (Marathi) also bombed terribly all over Maharashtra in its first week.

Tarafa (Marathi) proved a debacle in the first week itself all over Maharashtra.

Lagan (Marathi) fared poorly in 1st week in Maharashtra.

Gulhar (Marathi) failed to garner patronage in the first week in Maharashtra.

Chandramukhi (Marathi) continued to do well in Maharashtra in 2nd week too.

Sher Shivraj (Marathi) is still going strong. It did well in its 3rd week too.

Kahevatlal Parivar (Gujarati) has done very well in the first week in Gujarat.

Runway 34 found very limited favour with the class audience only, because of which collections were on the lower side. It didn’t get any advantage of even the Eid holiday on 3rd May. The first weekend started with a take of only Rs. 2.50 crore. Collections improved on Saturday and even more on Sunday but although the jump was good in percentage terms, it wasn’t big enough in real terms because the starting point was so low. Saturday closed at Rs. 4.25 crore while the total for Sunday was Rs. 5.50 crore. In this way, the first weekend’s total was Rs. 12.25 crore. Collections during the weekdays were rather low, including on Eid day (Tuesday). The low collections on the days of the weekend and again on Eid day conclusively underlined the fact that the film had appealed to only a section of the audience rather than universally. The collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 2.15 crore, Tuesday (Eid) – Rs. 3.50 crore (less than collections on Saturday and on Sunday), Wednesday (Baasi Eid) – Rs. 2 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.25 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was only Rs. 8.90 crore. Total for 1st week: Rs. 21.15 crore only.

Heropanti 2 also fared poorly. The action film also got very little advantage of the Eid holiday on 3rd May. The first weekend commenced with a take of Rs. 6.25 crore which included tickets bought by the concerned people to give the film an artificial boost. Collections on Saturday totalled Rs. 4.75 crore while the total for Sunday was a poor Rs. 3.75 crore. In this way, the first weekend closed at Rs. 14.75 crore. While the attendance in cinemas declined dramatically on the weekdays, even the Eid festival on Tuesday did not see collections taking a perceptible jump in real numbers. The day-wise totals for the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 1 crore, Tuesday (Eid) – Rs. 2.50 crore, Wednesday (Baasi Eid) – Rs. 2.15 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.25 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was a paltry Rs. 6.90 crore. Total for first week: Rs. 21.65 crore.

Jersey crashed in 2nd week everywhere. It added only Rs. 2.50 crore to its kitty in 2nd week. Total for 2 weeks: Rs. 21.70 crore.

K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) crossed the lifetime business of Dangal, in just three weeks to become the second-biggest Hindi film of all time. It crossed the Rs. 387 crore of Dangal on its 21st day (Wednesday). The Hindi dubbed version will join the Rs. 400-crore club in the fourth weekend. It fared better in its third week than the new releases of last week (in their first weeks)! The third weekend started with a take of Rs. 4.25 crore. Collections on Saturday rose by 70% so that the day closed at Rs. 7.25 crore. Sunday saw the film’s collections take a further jump, to Rs. 9.27 crore. Therefore, the third weekend closed at Rs. 20.77 crore. The total on Monday was Rs. 3.75 crore. Collections on Tuesday shot up to Rs. 9.57 crore on account of the Eid holiday. Baasi Eid helped collections to reach Rs. 8.75 crore on Wednesday. On Wednesday, the film had surpassed the lifetime net collections of Dangal which was, therefore, displaced to the third spot among the all-time top Hindi grossers. The Thursday total was Rs. 6.30 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 28.37 crore. Total for 3rd week: Rs. 49.14 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 397.95 crore.

Chandramukhi (Marathi) has done well at places in Maharashtra and excellent at others in the state in 1st week.

Sher Shivraj (Marathi) continued to score in the second week too, all over Maharashtra.

Jersey could not do much in the first week as the opposition of K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) proved too much for it and also because it did not find much appreciation. Its performance at the box-office can best be described as disastrous. The first week started with a net collection of only Rs. 3.50 crore. Collections on Saturday rose to Rs. 5 crore only. The increase on Sunday was negligible as the day closed at just Rs. 5.15 crore. With a weekend total of Rs. 13.65 crore, it was clear that the weekdays would be dull. And they were: Monday – Rs. 1.75 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.50 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.30 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1 crore. Total for the weekdays was, therefore, Rs. 5.55 crore. Total for 1st week: Rs. 19.20 crore.

Operation Romeo bombed miserably in 1st week due to lack of face value and promotion.

K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) continued its victory march in the second week too. After netting Rs. 53.95 crore (not Rs. 53 crore) on the opening day (Thursday), and Rs. 268.63 crore (not Rs. 259 crore) in the first 8-day week, it started the second week with a take of Rs. 11.56 crore on Friday. Collections on Saturday jumped almost 60%, to Rs. 18.25 crore. The increase on Sunday over Saturday’s collections was a little less than 25% so that the day closed at Rs. 22.68 crore. Therefore, the total for the second weekend was an amazing Rs. 52.49 crore. Collections on the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 8.28 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 7.48 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 6.25 crore, Thursday – Rs. 5.68 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 27.69 crore. Hence the total for the second week was a phenomenal Rs. 80.18 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 348.81 crore. It is just Rs. 39 crore short of the lifetime total of Dangal which is the film with the highest all-India lifetime collections after Bahubali 2: The Conclusion. Going by the trend, the film may surpass the lifetime total of Dangal by the end of the third week, to become the second-highest grosser of all time.

Sher Shivraj (Marathi) has done very well in the first week in Maharashtra.

K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) has written history in the first week. It started with a bang on Thursday (April 14) so that the first day closed at the highest-ever Rs. 53.95 crore. Friday ended at Rs. 46.79 crore, another record. Saturday’s total collection of Rs. 42.90 crore, and Sunday’s total of Rs. 50.35 crore were also new records. Therefore, the first 4-day weekend closed at an astounding Rs. 193.99 crore, which is also the highest ever as no other Hindi film has amassed so much in its first weekend. Collections during the weekdays were just as phenomenal: Monday – Rs. 25.57 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 19.14 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 16.35 crore, Thursday – Rs. 13.58 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was an amazing Rs. 74.64 crore. The first 8-day week’s total, therefore, was an outstanding Rs. 268.63 crore! Point to be noted is that this total is of all the non-Southern India states as the Hindi dubbed version had a bare minimum release in the four Southern states because the Kannada original, Tamil dubbed, Telugu dubbed and Malayalam dubbed versions are running in those states. It may be added here that extra shows of the film were conducted in many cinemas during the weekend, across the country. Given that a large chunk of Muslim audience is waiting for Ramzan to frequent cinemas, and also given that the film has tremendous repeat value, the film is poised to overtake Dangal which had netted Rs. 387 crore in its entire domestic run.

RAW (dubbed version of Tamil Beast) fared poorly in the first week. It took a weak opening on Wednesday (April 13) and continued to fare miserably all through the week. Its total box-office collection figure for the first nine-day week was pathetic.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (dubbed) faced a perceptible drop in collections in the second week. The original English version fared far better than the Hindi dubbed version in its second week too.

RRR (dubbed) was hit quite badly because of competition from the new release last week, K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed). The fourth weekend of RRR (dubbed) began with a take of Rs. 3 crore. Collections were the same (Rs. 3 crore) on Saturday. They increased only marginally on Sunday which closed at Rs. 3.50 crore. In this way, the fourth weekend’s total was Rs. 9.50 crore. Collections for the weekdays were very ordinary: Monday – Rs. 1.20 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.85 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.75 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 3.80 crore. Total for 4th week: Rs. 13.30 crore. Grand total for 4 weeks: Rs. 253.30 crore.

The dubbed version of K.G.F. Chapter 2 has written box-office history by starting off like a rocket. It opened on Thursday instead of the usual Friday, on account of the holiday for Ambedkar Jayanti and Mahavir Jayanti. It netted Rs. 53.95 crore on the first day which is not only the biggest opening of the year so far but also the biggest initial ever! Point to be noted is that the Hindi dubbed version of the film was hardly released in Nizam, Mysore, Tamilnad and Kerala circuits as the respective language versions opened there. Due to the almost unprecedented craze for the film, shows in many parts of the country started at 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., and they were either full or nearly full. The first-day total of all the versions — original Kannada, dubbed Hindi, dubbed Tamil, dubbed Telugu and dubbed Malayalam — put together was an astounding Rs. 117 crore (gross: Rs. 138 crore), the second-highest ever! K.G.F. Chapter 2 (Hindi dubbed) surpassed the initials of War (Rs. 51.60 crore; all versions – Rs. 53.35 crore), Thugs Of Hindostan (Rs. 50.75 crore; all versions – Rs. 52.25 crore), Bharat (Rs. 41.50 crore), Bahubali 2: The Conclusion (dubbed) (Rs. 41.25 crore; all versions – Rs. 121 crore), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Rs. 40.35 crore) and Happy New Year (Rs. 40 crore). The film performed brilliantly on the second day too, netting Rs. 46.79 crore! Total for first 2 days: Rs. 100.74 crore!! The first 4-day weekend of K.G.F. Chapter 2 is expected to close around Rs. 175-plus crore. The first 8-day week may close around Rs. 235-plus crore. The film is poised to easily join the Rs. 300-crore club.

RAW (dubbed version of Tamil Beast) failed to find much acceptance on the first day (Wednesday, April 13). Collections on the second day (Thursday, April 14) were worse because of the opposition of K.G.F. Chapter 2 (dubbed) on Thursday.

Hurdang bombed all over in 1st week.

Juni – The Last Prayer fared miserably in the first week.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (dubbed and original English versions) did fairly well in 1st week. The original English version somewhat saved the day as collections of the Hindi dubbed version were very ordinary.

Attack nosedived in the second week all over. It will entail heavy losses to its distributors. The second weekend started with Rs. 32 lakh on Friday. Collections on Saturday and Sunday were Rs. 50 lakh and Rs. 61 lakh respectively. In this way, the total for the second weekend was a pathetic Rs. 1.43 crore. Collections for the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 21 lakh, Tuesday – Rs. 18 lakh, Wednesday – Rs. 11 lakh, Thursday – Rs. 2 lakh only. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was a paltry Rs. 0.52 crore. Total for 2nd week: Rs. 1.95 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 15.45 crore.

RRR (dubbed) added Rs. 35 crore to its kitty in the third week. The third weekend started with a take of Rs. 5 crore. Collections on Saturday jumped to Rs. 7.25 crore, and further to Rs. 10.50 crore on Sunday. In this way, its third weekend’s total was Rs. 22.75 crore. Collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 3.25 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 3 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 3 crore, Thursday – Rs. 3 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 12.25 crore. Total for 3rd week: Rs. 35 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 240 crore.

The Kashmir Files is now on its last lap. In its fifth week, it collected Rs. 0.50 crore on Friday, Rs. 0.85 crore on Saturday, and Rs. 1.15 crore on Sunday. Its total for the fifth weekend was, therefore, Rs. 2.50 crore. Collections for the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 0.30 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.32 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.25 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.15 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 1.02 crore. Total for 5th week: Rs. 3.52 crore. Grand total for 5 weeks: Rs. 248.77 crore.

Vishu (Marathi) flopped in the first week all over Maharashtra.

Rivanawayali (Marathi) failed to make any mark in 1st week in Maharashtra.

Me Vasantrao (Marathi) continued to do well in 2nd week in some parts of Maharashtra.

The trade did not need AI (Artificial Intelligence) to understand that Attack, the film based on the AI technology, had been rejected by the audience. It was evident right from the word ‘go’. The film started on such a terrible note that the action film netted only Rs. 3.15 crore on the first day. Saturday was no different as it closed at the same figure (Rs. 3.15 crore). Even collections on Sunday were hardly any better. The day closed at Rs. 3.45 crore, taking the first weekend’s total to a meagre Rs. 9.75 crore. Considering that it was an action film as well as the only major release last week, the weekend’s total was disturbing. Collections on the weekdays were even more miserable: Monday – Rs. 1.10 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.90 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.75 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was only Rs. 3.75 crore. Total for the first week: Rs. 13.50 crore.

Morbius (dubbed and original English version) fared poorly in the first week all over.

RRR (dubbed) continued to rule the box-office charts in its second week too. While the film, in all its versions, collectively touched the Rs. 1,000-crore gross figure worldwide mid-2nd week, the Hindi dubbed version also recorded massive collections after a bountiful first week. The Hindi dubbed version touched the Rs. 200-crore mark on the 13th day. The second weekend started with a take of Rs. 13 crore. Collections jumped to Rs. 17 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 20 crore on Sunday. In this way, the second weekend of RRR (dubbed) closed at a humungous Rs. 50 crore. Collections for the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 6.75 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 6 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 5.25 crore, Thursday – Rs. 5 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 23 crore. Total for 2nd week: Rs. 73 crore. Since the film had netted Rs. 132 crore in the first week, its total for 2 weeks went up to Rs. 205 crore. With no major theatrical release this week, the film will continue its majestic run in the third week also — at least till Wednesday as all the big films of this week are slated to hit the screens on Thursday instead of Friday.

The Kashmir Files collected decently in 4th week too. The fourth weekend started with a net collection of Rs. 1.55 crore on Friday. Collections on Saturday and Sunday were Rs. 2.45 crore and Rs. 3 crore respectively. Therefore, the total for the fourth weekend was a respectable Rs. 7 crore. Collections for the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 0.85 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.80 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.65 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.60 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 2.90 crore. Total for 4th week: Rs. 9.90 crore. Grand total for 4 weeks: Rs. 245.25 crore.

Me Vasantrao (Marathi) fared quite well in the first week in Maharashtra. It did well in some pockets and average in others.

Ek Number Super (Marathi) failed to make any mark in 1st week in Maharashtra.

Aashray (Marathi) did poor business in 1st week in Maharashtra.

Raudra (Marathi) performed badly in 1st week in Maharashtra.

The poor intial of this week’s ATTACK has sent shock waves in the trade. The disastrous fate of John Abraham’s last film (before ATTACK), SATYAMEVA JAYATE 2, seems to have had an adverse impact on the opening of ATTACK.

RRR (dubbed) has swept the box-office in the first week. It comfortably crossed the Rs. 100-crore mark in five days only. The first day recorded a total collection of Rs. 19 crore! Thanks to the brilliant public reports, collections jumped more than 25%, to Rs. 24 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 31.50 crore on Sunday. In this way, the first weekend’s total was an extraordinary Rs. 74.50 crore. Collections continued to be excellent during the weekdays too: Monday – Rs. 17 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 15.50 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 13 crore, Thursday – Rs. 12 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was a phenomenal Rs. 57.50 crore. In this way, the first week closed at an unbelievable Rs. 132 crore!! The film will very likely touch the Rs. 200-crore mark by the end of the second week.

Bachchhan Paandey fared miserably in its 2nd week. It barely added Rs. 3 crore to its kitty in 2nd week, thereby taking its 2-week total to Rs. 48.65 crore.

The Kashmir Files continued to do remarkable business in the third week in spite of the opposition of RRR. It netted Rs. 4.50 crore on the first day of the third week. Collections shot up to Rs. 7.50 crore on Saturday. They jumped further to Rs. 9 crore on Sunday, taking the third weekend’s total to a pretty impressive Rs. 21 crore! Collections during the weekdays were as follows: Monday – Rs. 3 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 2.50 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 2.25 crore, Thursday – Rs. 2 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 9.75 crore. Total for 3rd week: Rs. 30.75 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 235.35 crore.

RRR (dubbed) opened yesterday (March 25) to excellent houses and a rousing reception at many places.

Bachchhan Paandey fared badly in the first week after a fair start and an average first weekend. The stupendous success of The Kashmir Files and its opposition did affect the collections of Bachchhan Paandey but to attribute its failure to only TKF would be completely incorrect. How badly BP fared and how extraordinary TKF was even in its 2nd week is borne out by the fact that at 95% of the centres, collections of TKF in 2nd week were double, triple or even upto five times those of BP in 1st week. Bachchhan Paandey started with a take of Rs. 12 crore on Friday which was a holiday on account of Holi. Collections dropped by Rs. 1 crore on Saturday which closed at Rs. 11 crore. Due to lack of appreciation, there was no perceptible jump in collections on Sunday which closed at Rs. 11.50 crore. After a first weekend of Rs. 34.50 crore, collections for the weekdays were rather poor: Monday – Rs. 3.50 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 3 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 2.50 crore, Thursday – Rs. 2.15 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 11.15 crore. In this way, the first week closed at Rs. 45.65 crore only.

Radhe Shyam fared miserably in its 2nd week all over.

The Kashmir Files created another historic record by netting more in its 2nd week than the first week. And this, in spite of the fact that the first week’s collections themselves were historic! The film crossed the Rs. 200-crore mark in just 2 weeks!! The first day of the second week started closed at Rs. 19 crore. Collections jumped to Rs. 24.75 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 26.25 crore on Sunday. Hence the total for the second weekend was a phenomenal Rs. 70 crore. It may be mentioned here that the first weekend’s total was Rs. 26.75 crore which was almost the total of the second weekend’s Sunday alone! Collections for the weekdays were also extraordinary: Monday – Rs. 12.35 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 10.25 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 8.50 crore, Thursday – Rs. 7.25 crore. Thanks to the total for the weekdays being Rs. 38.35 crore, the second week’s total was an unimaginable Rs. 108.35 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 204.60 crore.

Jhund is breathing its last. Its third week’s collections were quite dull.

The Batman (original English and dubbed versions) is on its way out. The third weekend started with a total of Rs. 0.60 crore on Friday. Collections on Saturday and Sunday were Rs. 1.10 crore and Rs. 1.05 crore respectively. After a third weekend total of Rs. 2.75 crore, collections for the weekdays were rather dull: Monday – Rs. 0.30 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.30 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.28 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.27 crore. The total for the weekdays, therefore, was Rs. 1.15 crore. In this way, the third week’s total was Rs. 3.90 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 46 crore.

Gangubai Kathiawadi is in its last lap. Its fourth week started with a net collection of Rs. 0.85 crore on Friday. Collections for Saturday and Sunday were Rs. 1.15 crore and Rs. 1.35 crore respectively. In this way, the film netted Rs. 3.35 crore in its fourth weekend. Collections during the weekdays were: Monday – Rs. 0.50 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.50 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.45 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.45 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 1.90 crore. The fourth week, therefore, closed at Rs. 5.25 crore. Grand total for 4 weeks: Rs. 124.60 crore.

Pawankhind (Marathi) performed excellently in its fifth week too. It has proved to be a super-hit fare.

The opening of Bachchhan Paandey yesterday (March 18) was not upto the mark because of Holi festivities and the strong opposition of The Kashmir Files which entered its second week. Bachchhan Paandey also did not get the shows and screens it would’ve otherwise got, because exhibitors clung on to The Kashmir Files for dear life. Of course, collections of Bachchhan Paandey grew as the day progressed because the Holi festivities were over by afternoon.

Radhe Shyam met with a disastrous fate in 1st week. Although the Telugu version of the bilingual performed better, it was still way below the mark. As for the Hindi version, its first week’s collections were terribly weak. The film’s Hindi version netted Rs. 4 crore on the first day. Collections picked up on Saturday and Sunday but the increase was unimpressive, considering that the start was so low. It collected Rs. 4.50 crore on Saturday, and Rs. 5 crore on Sunday, taking the first weekend’s total to Rs. 13.50 crore. Collections were rather poor on the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 1.50 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.15 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.65 crore. In this way, the total for the weekdays was a paltry Rs. 4.30 crore. The first week, therefore, closed at Rs. 17.80 crore. The distributor’s share from the Telugu version in the first week was only Rs. 52.59 crore. The Kannada dubbed version yielded a share of Rs. 4.18 crore, the Tamil version, Rs. 0.75 crore, and the Malayalam dubbed version, Rs. 0.18 crore. Including the Hindi version’s share of Rs. 8.90 crore, and the share of the various versions from the rest of India of Rs. 1.58 crore, the total all-India share in the first week was Rs. 68.18 crore. The film will entail heavy losses to all the distributors as they would reach the break-even point at a distributors’ share of Rs. 204 crore which seems to be a distant dream.

The Kashmir Files is nothing short of box-office magic! The film, made at a budget of only Rs. 15 crore, has surpassed all expectations and has written box-office history in the first week. Its second week’s opening is also historic, just like the first week’s collections. Looking to the outstanding public reports, the film was being screened in more than 2,600 screens by the end of the first week as against the less-than-700 screens on the first day!! The film netted Rs. 3.50 crore on day 1 from very limited screens. The screen count started increasing from the first day itself. Saturday collections shot up to Rs. 8.25 crore. The Sunday figure came as a virtual surprise to everyone. The third day closed at Rs. 15 crore, thereby taking the first weekend’s total to Rs. 26.75 crore. What followed in the weekdays is probably unprecedented in box-office history. Collections on Monday were as huge as on Sunday — Rs. 15 crore. The film netted Rs. 18 crore on Tuesday, another first. The figure of Rs. 18.50 crore on Wednesday was also unprecedented. The film collected Rs. 18 crore on Thursday, taking the total for the weekdays to an unbelievable Rs. 69.50 crore, more than double the weekend’s total. In this way, the first week closed at Rs. 96.25 crore! The film has become a movement of sorts through the length and breadth of the country. It has come like a saviour for exhibitors who had incurred huge losses during the lockdowns. Looking to the start of the second week, in spite of the new release (Bachchhan Paandey), it can safely be predicted that the film could end up collecting around Rs. 90-95 crore in the second week too! This will easily become the fastest Hindi grosser of all times, that too, with the highest ever Return on Investment (RoI)!!

ET – Etharkkum Thunindhavan (dubbed) fared miserably in the first week all over.

Jhund fared poorly in 2nd week which started with a take of only Rs. 0.55 crore. Collections for Saturday and Sunday were Rs. 0.95 crore and Rs. 1.10 crore respectively. Therefore, the total for the second weekend was Rs. 2.60 crore. Collections for the weekdays were rather pathetic: Monday – Rs. 0.40 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.35 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.35 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.30 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 1.40 crore, and for the second week, Rs. 4 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 12.95 crore.

The Batman (dubbed and original English versions) fell by more than 60% in its second week. It netted Rs. 1.65 crore on Friday. Collections more than doubled on Saturday which, therefore, closed at Rs. 3.40 crore. The total for Sunday (Rs. 3.25 crore) was less than that of Saturday. Hence the total for the second weekend was Rs. 8.30 crore. Collections for the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 0.85 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 0.80 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 0.85 crore, Thursday – Rs. 0.85 crore. Therefore, the total for the weekdays was Rs. 3.35 crore. Total for 2nd week: Rs. 11.65 crore. Grand total for 2 weeks: Rs. 42.10 crore.

Gangubai Kathiawadi started its third week with a take of Rs. 2.50 crore on the first day. Collections increased to Rs. 4.25 crore on Saturday, and further to Rs. 5 crore on Sunday. Therefore, the third weekend closed at Rs. 11.75 crore. Collections for the weekdays: Monday – Rs. 1.50 crore, Tuesday – Rs. 1.35 crore, Wednesday – Rs. 1.25 crore, Thursday – Rs. 1.15 crore. Hence the total for the weekdays was Rs. 5.25 crore. In this way, the total for the third week was Rs. 17 crore. Grand total for 3 weeks: Rs. 119.35 crore.

Pawankhind (Marathi) continued its victory march in the fourth week too.