‘RA. ONE’ earns Rs. 18 crore on first day

BollywoodWorld.com, Shahrukh Khan’s most ambitious sci-fi thriller hit the screens on Diwali and while some critics gave it a thumbs up for blending elegance of Hollywood with Indian sensibilities, others panned the superhero drama by labelling it just as a video game. The reviews notwithstanding, it has managed to collect Rs.18 crore at the home box office on the opening day.

However, as predicted by trade pundits, the film couldn’t break the first day collection records of Salman Khan starrer “Bodyguard”, which earned Rs.22 crore in the domestic market on the opening day.

In the onverseas market, the Red Chillies Entertainment and Eros International co-production raked in Rs.6.5 crore.

If reviewers have a different take on the film, viewers are also reacting differently but theatre owners predict good business in the coming week.

“Although the film has got mixed reviews, the first day has been really good. We witnessed more than 80 percent occupancy,” a source in PVR told IANS.

“Moreover, the extensive marketing of the film has created a curiosity among people, who are eager to see what is the film all about,” the source added.

Cinemax witnessed an average footfall on the first day.

“There could be two reasons – the 3D version of the film was made available a little late. Although in metros it was fine, but in other cities due to delayed release in 3D we had to cancel some of the shows,” said Sunil Punjab, CEO of Cinemax.