BackHit by Ayodhya verdict, Ayushmann Khurrana’s ‘Bala’ still opens well
The older Diwali offering, ensemble comedy Housefull 4, too was impacted by the Ayodhya verdictBox Office India said 'Bala' recorded a 60% jump in collections on Saturday
PremiumNew Delhi: Ayushmann Khurrana seems to be continuing his winning streak at the box office, with his latest release, comedy drama Bala having made ₹43.95 crore over the weekend. The Amar Kaushik directed film about a young man dealing with premature balding is Khurrana’s third release this year and on way to turning into his third hit after Dream Girl ( ₹139.31 crore) and Article 15 ( ₹65.17 crore).
“Bala is rocking. Packs a fantastic total in its opening weekend. Tier-two and tier-three cities which were decent/good—join the party on day three. Monday business crucial, will give an idea of its lifetime business," trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.
Trade website Box Office India said the film recorded a 60% jump in collections on Saturday which were a little lower than earlier estimates as some cities in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, especially Bhopal, were shut after the Ayodhya verdict. The best growth for the film came from Bengaluru and Pune where collections almost doubled while the film could have probably done better in the east and East Punjab especially the latter as it is a multiplex circuit. The film that co-stars Bhumi Pednekar and Yami Gautam is trending similar to Khurrana’s Dream Girl but not recording nearly as great numbers because the latter did exceedingly well in the Delhi NCR circuit and Punjab.
The older Diwali offering, ensemble comedy Housefull 4, too was impacted by the Ayodhya verdict. The film starring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Riteish Deshmukh, Kriti Sanon, Pooja Hegde and Kriti Kharbanda had collected ₹189.36 crore at last count, with only a 40% growth this Saturday as the mass centres where it was performing best were hit by the ruling. Areas like Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru are among its weaker territories.
Box Office India said the film was further impacted with the release of Bala that led to a division of screens but it seems to be on way to becoming the highest comedy grosser in India, with the ₹205 crore mark well in sight. It is doing excellent business particularly in Gujarat and Saurashtra and will soon also be the highest net grosser of lead actor Akshay Kumar in the next few days as it beats the ₹192.7 crore net earnings of his Independence Day release Mission Mangal.
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