Saturday morning has continued the Friday trend at the box office, with Haunted: Echoes of the Past maintaining a lead over the other Hindi releases. As of 10 AM on Day 2, the horror film has collected Rs. 50 lakhs nett, with a morning occupancy of 9.18%.
The Vikram Bhatt-directed horror film had stunned the trade on Friday by collecting Rs. 2.75 crores, despite initially not getting shows in the national multiplex chains. The film’s performance in single screens and non-national chains had already made it the surprise winner of the day. On Saturday morning as well, it has managed to stay ahead of the competition.
The Imtiaz Ali directorial Main Vaapas Aaunga, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Vedang Raina and Sharvari, has shown a muted trend on Day 2 morning. The film has collected Rs. 35 lakhs nett as of 10 AM, with morning occupancy of 8.15%. After a disappointing Day 1 collection of Rs. 1.40 crores, the film needed a strong jump on Saturday, but the morning trend continues to remain on the lower side.
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, led by Kangana Ranaut, has also failed to find momentum. The film has collected Rs. 24 lakhs nett by 10 AM on Saturday, with a morning occupancy of 8.31%. After opening around the Rs. 1 crore mark on Friday, the film continues to remain a non-starter at the box office.
The Manoj Bajpayee starrer Governor has collected Rs. 18 lakhs nett as of 10 AM. Interestingly, its morning occupancy stands at 9.42%, which is marginally higher than the other releases, but the overall collections remain low due to limited showcasing and weak demand. The film, too, had opened around the Rs. 1 crore mark on Friday.
The big talking point of the weekend remains the performance of Haunted: Echoes of the Past. Despite having a smaller scale and less conventional release pattern, it has managed to stay ahead of films led by bigger names. The Saturday trend will now be crucial, especially for Main Vaapas Aaunga, Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata and Governor, as they need a major jump through the day to put up respectable Day 2 totals.
As things stand, the horror film continues to be the only Hindi release offering some support to exhibitors this weekend, while the remaining films are struggling to attract audiences in significant numbers.
