February 16 had quite a number of non-Hindi releases. Aiyaary, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpai, had endured several date shifts before zeroing in on Friday last, making it the only Hindi release on the day. Despite the lack of competition, this Neeraj Pandey directorial made only Rs 3.36 crores in India; a dull opening when compared to Malhotra’s other movies A Gentleman (Rs 4.04 crores) and Ittefaq (Rs 4.05 crores).
According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film fared better abroad on its opening day, earning $ 417,000 (Rs 2.68 crores. The weekend, however, proved to be good for the film, as it earned Rs 7.40 crores on Saturday in India alone, and Rs 4.57 crores overseas.
#Aiyaary – OVERSEAS…
Fri $ 419,000
Sat $ 292,000
Total: $ 711,000 [₹ 4.57 cr]…
2-day biz is 40% higher than #NaamShabana in international markets.— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 18, 2018
#Aiyaary witnessed an upward trend on Sat, but the 2-day total is underwhelming… Biz is better in metros… Fri 3.36 cr, Sat 4.04 cr. Total: ₹ 7.40 cr. India biz.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 18, 2018
Read: Silverscreen’s Review of Aiyaary
Naachiyaar, directed by Bala, featured an unlikely pair of lead actors – Jyothika and GV Prakash Kumar. The film, as it turned out, was also unlike a typical Bala film, with a bit of humour thrown in. The bigger Tamil release when compared to the other films, it is currently ranked number one at the Tamil Nadu box office.
. @gvprakash – #Jyothika – Dir #Bala ‘s #Naachiyaar is the No.1 Movie at the TN Box office for the Feb 16th – 18th Weekend.. pic.twitter.com/II6Ju2CIfD
— Ramesh Bala (@rameshlaus) February 19, 2018
With music by Ilaiyaraaja, the film was jointly bankrolled by Bala’s home production banner, B Studios, along with EON Studios.
Read: Silverscreen’s Review of Naachiyaar
Nagesh Thiraiyarangam was a horror film directed by Mohammed Issack, starring Aari and Ashna Zaveri. About a theatre occupied by a ghost with a terrible past, reviews for the film have mostly been negative, owing to its contrived plot and lack of scares. The film’s official numbers aren’t out yet.
Read: Silverscreen’s Review of Nagesh Thiraiyarangam
Veera, starring Krishna and Iswarya Menon, was an action film directed by Rajaraman and produced by Elred Kumar of RS Infotainment. The film has mostly been getting mixed reviews, with reportedly a below-average opening in Tamil Nadu.
Other films:
Captain (Malayalam)
Recommended
Jayasurya played the role of VP Sathyan, the late national football team captain. Directed by Prajesh Sen, Anu Sithara starred as Sathyan’s wife, Anitha Sathyan. The biopic presented VP Sathyan’s personal life and his association with the football clubs. Sathyan was the captain of Indian national football team and also served as the assistant coach to Stephen Constantine. The film was produced under the banner of Goodwill Entertainments.
The film has mostly been getting positive reviews, with most lauding the actor’s efforts more than the film’s story. While the official numbers aren’t out yet, the film is currently ranked number one in Kerala.
Read: Silverscreen’s Review of Captain
Awe (Telugu)
Awe, directed by newcomer Prasanth Varma, starred Kajal Aggarwal, Nithya Menen, Regina Cassandra, Eesha Rebba, Murali Sharma, and others. The film had elements of a thriller and fantasy, with some horror and social drama. Produced by actor Nani, reviews for the film have mostly been favourable, lauding the filmmaker’s different methods of storytelling.
The film is said to have already crossed half a million dollars within the first two days overseas.
Telugu film #Awe debuts at No 21 at USA BO… The encouraging start should help it cross half-million mark over the weekend…
Thu previews $ 126,851
Fri $ 140,629 / 106 locations
Total: $ 267,480 [₹ 1.72 cr]@Rentrak— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) February 17, 2018
While numbers aren’t out yet, certain cinema trackers predict that the film is likely to have crossed Rs 4 crores already in India.
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