Shankar's "I" (Ai) starring Vikram and Amy Jackson in the lead, has shown decent growth and done well at the box office in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (AP/T) on Thursday (second day).
Riding on an unprecedented hype, the Telugu version of 'I' released in a large number of cinema halls in both the states and its volume of release was almost equal to the original version of the film in the Tamil Nadu.
Having opened to an overwhelming response, the movie did fantastic collections at the AP/T box office on the first day. It also gave a tough time to Pawan Kalyan and Venkatesh's "Gopala Gopala".
But "I" garnered negative reviews from both film critics and viewers on its opening day. Some trade analytics in Tollywood predicted that the bad word-of-mouth would take a toll on its business on the second day (Thursday). To everybody's surprise, the movie witnessed a big leap in both the states on Thursday, possibly due to Sankranti holiday.
The Twitter handle of Andhra Box Office wrote:"Great Day for BO. Both #I & #GopalaGopala are Good. #I Doing well irrespective of Word of mouth.
It also said: "Shankar's #I AP/N 2nd Day Collections are Bigger than even Highest 1st Day collections of any other Dubbing film. Good going."
The makers of "I" are yet to make an official announcement about the two-day collection in the two states. But, if one were to go by early trends, the Vikram and Amy Jackson starrer has collected approximately over ₹15 crore at the AP/T box office in two days. It has returned 50% of its cost to the bosses of its Telugu version, who have reportedly shelled out ₹30 crore on its theatrical rights.
But the film's good run is likely to take a hit on Friday mainly for three reasons. First, it is a working day for many people. Secondly, three Hindi movies - "Alone", "Crazy Cukkad Family" and "Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene" - are releasing on 16 January and likely to give competition to "I". Thirdly, the bad word-of-mouth is likely to play spoilsport at ticket counters.
