Mumbai, July 07: Sajid Nadiadwala’s Kambakkht Ishq has registered a stupendous opening grossing over Rs 46 crore at the box office in its opening weekend, Eros International, the film’s co-producer and distributor has said.
The film, directed by debutant Sabbir Khan with Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles has grossed over Rs 32 crore in India and Rs 14 crore overseas.
The film, which released worldwide on July 3, has also touched the number eight position in UK in the same period.
Speaking on the films performance, Nandu Ahuja, executive vice president, Distribution India, Eros International said, “Despite heavy rains, the film remained steady through the weekend all over and continues to show fabulous response today on day four as well. We are confident of the films performance in the weeks to come.”
“In UK, the film secured a strong number eight position earning 3,00,000 pounds despite releasing along with big Hollywood films such as Ice Age 3 and Public Enemies,” Pranab Kapadia, President Distribution – Europe and Africa, Eros International added.
The US saw strong opening figures of 7,00,000 US dollars, as the film released during one of the most popular bank holiday weekends of July 4.
In Pakistan, the film grossed 1,00,000 US dollars from only 15 prints, the highest ever for any Bollywood film.
Well known trade expert and critic Taran Adarsh said that initial tracking indicate Kambakkht Ishq is amongst top five openers of all times in India.
“This weekend was the best in terms of business and audiences, especially the youth are loving Kambakkht Ishq. Most of the shows for the film over the weekend were sold out,” Devang Sampath, senior vice president, Cinemax said.
The film saw one of the widest releases for a Bollywood film in recent times with an unprecedented 2000 plus screens worldwide (with a combination of prints and digital).
However, the film has received mixed reviews with a majority of critics criticising the use of foul words, suggestive dialogues with sexual connotations throughout.
Meanwhile, Fox Star Studio India’s Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur, which was released on July 3, has grossed Rs 2.2 crore on 60 prints in India.
Fox Star has said that the film has got the highest opening for any animation film in India, beating the 2005 superhit Hanuman, which had an opening of Rs 1.5 crore on 150 prints.
“Ice Age 3 has managed to get one of the highest openings for an animated film in India even though it has released with the hugely hyped Kambakkht Ishq. The exceptional 3D effects in the film are a must see,” Vijay Singh, CEO, Fox Star Studios India said.
3D is a huge draw and there are a lot more 3D films releasing. The exhibitors need to gear up for this so as to make the films accessible to a larger section of the public, Singh said.
The previous highest weekend collections for Hollywood film were for Shrek 3, which had collected Rs 1.3 crore.
The biggest animated film in India, Hanuman had grossed around Rs 1.5 crore in its initial weekend. The sequel to Hanuman released in 2007 and had an opening of just Rs 1.2 crores in its initial weekend.
“Ice Age is a brand of its own and the 3rd edition lives up to its expectations. Not only the children but also people of all age group are queuing up to watch the movie. In terms of promotions too, the film has tied-up with leading brands like McDonalds and Horlicks for extensive campaigns in India,” Venkat Prasad, programming head, Prasadz Media Corp at Hyderabad said.
–PTI