Very much as expected, the frontrunner of this week was Neeraj Pandey’s Akshay Kumar starrer BABY. And quite like the team’s last hit, SPECIAL 26, the film did not embark upon a bombastic start (during the morning shows) but picked up substantially during the latter screenings. The first day appears to be in the 8-9 crore range, as per early estimations, which, given the start is quite satisfactory.
Coming to the nitty-gritty’s, BABY saw a reasonably good start in the multiplexes (40-45 percent) and showed a good jump during the afternoon and evening shows, based on a very positive word-of-mouth. But the film is not faring very well at the single screens and the collections are quite dull. Having said that, BABY is expected to get a good extended Republic Day weekend haul, given the intrinsic merits.
The other release of the week, the Malaika and Arbaaz Khan venture, DOLLY KI DOLI, featuring Sonam Kapoor in the title role, saw a below the mark start, maybe due to the lack of face/star value. On the opening day DOLLY KI DOLI has netted in the 2-3 crore range, which is a tad disappointing. However, the extended four day weekend may still turn DKD’s fortune around, fingers crossed.
