Aamir Khan's Midas touch seems to be
working again. The actor's suspense-thriller is raking in the moolah at
the domestic box-office earning Rs.48.99 crore in the opening weekend.
Directed by Reema Kagti, the film,
featuring Aamir, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor, was made at a budget
of Rs.40 crore and its satellite rights were also sold for Rs.40 crore.
"Talaash" released across 2,500 screens.
The film opened with rave reviews and
its first weekend breakup is - Rs.14.52 crore (Friday), Rs.16.37 crore
(Saturday) and Rs.18.1 crore (Sunday).
Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines,
Mumbai, says the response to the film is good and it is attracting more
of a class audience.
"It is more for class audience rather
than masses. The weekend has been very good and the movie is doing
great in multiplexes as compared to single screens," Thadani said.
A lot of families are also coming to watch the suspense thriller, said Jaspal Dhingra of Nanaksar Enterprises.
"In three days, the movie has earned
approximately Rs.3.75 crore in Punjab. It is a weekend-plus picture and
is expected to do better. Families are coming and liking the movie,"
said Dhingra.
Unlike his previous films, Aamir, who
is also the producer of the film along with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh
Sidhwani, chose to keep the promotions low-key as they didn't want to
ruin the suspense of the film.
And his marketing strategy seemed to have worked when it comes to attracting footfalls.
"The footfalls are exceeding and the
movie has almost 80-90 percent occupancy. All age groups are coming,"
said Rahul Singh, senior vice president, PVR Cinemas.
However, Singh says weekdays will decide its longevity.
"The weekdays will decide how it does
in future as the word of mouth spreads. Movies like 'Khiladi 786' and
'Dabangg 2' will release so we will have to wait and watch," he said.
From rave reviews to overwhelming
footfalls, Aamir Khan's "Talaash" has hit the bull's eye, despite the
fact it has come out during non-festive season. Trade pundits predict
that the film is likely to collect Rs.15 crores on its opening day.
Usually, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan
choose to release their films during holiday season in a bid to
attract more audiences, however, Aamir defied the norm by releasing
"Talaash" during a non-festive weekend.
If trade pundits are to be believed the
film is likely to rake in Rs.15 crores net at the Indian box office on
the very first day.
The suspense thriller, starring Rani
Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor, is expected to beat the opening collections
of "Raaz" (Rs. 10.50 crore), "Bol Bachchan" (Rs 11.75 crore),
"Cocktail"( Rs 10.75 crore), "Raajneeti" ( Rs 10.50 crore), "Barfi!"
(Rs 8.5 crore) - which too released on a non-holiday Friday.
