Bhooth Bangla is looking at solid growth on its second day at the Indian box office. Through matinee shows, the film is running about 40 per cent ahead of Friday on Saturday. This growth is expected to increase as the day progresses, likely reaching around 50 per cent at the end of the day. That would mean a Rs. 17-17.50 crore nett day. With a stronger trend, it could hit or go over Rs. 18 crore nett.
The strongest jump is coming from the Northern circuits, where the Delhi-NCR region typically grows quite a lot on Saturdays. The first day in these circuits was relatively low, but they have come on board well today. Other “big-on-Saturday” places like the Mumbai-Pune belt and Karnataka are also seeing strong growth. Meanwhile, Hindi belt states like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are also seeing gains today, though they are expected to show an even bigger spike on Sunday.
The Akshay Kumar starrer opened on a promising note on Friday, and the Saturday growth is further good news. The two-day total for the film will be around Rs. 32-33 crore, which essentially ensures a Rs. 50 crore plus weekend. The film has the potential to grow big on Sunday. The hope will be to clear the Rs. 20 crore nett mark. The ultimate test will be how it holds on Monday and then sustains on weekdays. Jolly LLB 3 had a similar sort of collection and trend over the first weekend, but the weekdays’ business wasn’t as strong, which kept it from becoming a HIT. Bhooth Bangla will aim to change that, and if it does so, it will have an open run to score.
The film is made on controlled costs and has a good amount of non-theatrical recoveries as well. The overseas start is also encouraging. In all, the outlook is positive at the moment. The industry is currently on a high with the historic success of Dhurandhar: The Revenge. If Bhooth Bangla sails through, it will help carry that momentum forward.