The third installment of the Murder series, "Murder 3" opened to an average response on the first day in theaters across the country.
Vishesh Bhatt's directorial thriller film garnered only 30 to 40 percent occupancy in the morning shows, and the collections were below the mark at some places. But on a positive note, the film picked up in the evening shows.
The business in mass belts was slightly better than in the metros, but the overall occupancy of the thriller film is lower than its prequel movie "Murder 2" which was released in 2011.
Randeep Hooda starrer "Murder 3" collected ₹4.52 crore on the opening day in India.
"#Murder3 picked up in evening/night shows. Collects 4.52 cr nett on Fri," trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh tweeted.
The first day collection is almost 40 percent lower than the earning of "Murder 2" which minted approximately ₹7 crore on opening day.
"Murder 3" is a remake of Colombian thriller "The Hidden Face", received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
In the first two series Emraan Hashmi played the lead character, but the makers of the film decided to cast Randeep in the main role in the new sequel, which also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Sara Loren.
Following its average opening, the collections in the weekend - Saturday and Sunday - is crucial for the film to survive at the box office.
