The third day earnings of Akshay Kumar starrer "Holiday – A Soldier Is Never Off Duty" has shown a huge jump, taking its opening weekend total to ₹41.32 crore.
The Friday and Saturday business of the film were consistent by earning ₹12 crore on each day. Due to holiday on Sunday, the film witnessed growth at the domestic box office.
"#Holiday Fri 12.18 cr, Sat 12.34 cr, Sun 16.80 cr. Total: ₹ 41.32 cr nett. India biz... FANTASTIC growth in biz on Sunday!" trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.
The action drama also starring Sonakshi Sinha in the lead role had the third highest opening weekend total in 2014, pushing Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor's "2 States" to fourth place.
Salman Khan's "Jai Ho" had the highest total with ₹60.68 crore nett and Ranveer Singh-Arjun Kapoor's "Gunday" had the second highest with ₹43.93 crore.
"Gunday" opening weekend total is better than "Holiday" only because it had the benefit of Valentine's Day. "Gunday" opening day i.e. 14 February total was ₹16.12 crore, second day total was ₹12.63 crore and third day ₹15.18 crore.
Meanwhile, remaking south film formula has worked in Kumar's favour. After giving a two flop films last year "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara" and "Boss," "Holiday" has come as a relief for Kumar.
The film released in 3500 screens in India is a remake of AR Murugadoss's 2012 blockbuster Tamil film "Thuppakki" starring Ilayathalapathy Vijay. "Holiday" got mixed reviews from critics, but audiences appreciated it due to Kumar's action stint.
The film opened well in most of the circuits in India. The response from single screen was good, but in metro cities it received average response. However, the film picked up pace on Sunday and showed tremendous growth.
After putting a respectable foremost weekend total, all eyes are set on weekday's business. The film needs to hold strong during weekday's to earn the production cost.
The film directed by Murugadoss also features Govinda, Sumeet Raghavan, Freddy Daruwala and Gireesh Sahdev in important roles.
The business of the second film "Filmistaan" released along with "Holiday" also escalated during weekend due to strong word of mouth. The film is working in theaters only because of the positive response.
On Friday, the film raked in only ₹51 lakh, but on Saturday the business got doubled. The film showed some improvement on third day also. The opening weekend total now stands at ₹2.81 crore.
"#Filmistaan Fri 51 lacs, Sat 1.04 cr, Sun 1.26 cr. Total: ₹ 2.81 cr nett. India biz... Super-strong word of mouth working wonders," Adarsh tweeted.
