Puneeth Rajkumar's James has taken an earth-shattering opening at the Karnataka box office. The last movie of Sandalwood's Power Star has been overwhelmingly received by the fans of the actor.
Massive Release
The movie was released in a record number of screens and an estimation states that the movie had close to 900 shows in multiplexes across the country. In Karnataka alone, James saw the light of the day in over 400 single screens.
As this is the last movie of Appu, the fans thronged into theatres in big numbers. Single screens started special shows as early as 1.30 am and had five to six shows while multiplexes in Karnataka dedicated for Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer due to the unprecedented craze.
"Cashing in on the craze exhibitors and distributors released in a maximum number of screens. Hence, the movie has taken an earth-shattering opening," a source from the industry tells.
However, it was a common sight to see fans walking out of theatres with their eyes full of tears. "Although cinephiles have an overwhelming response to Appu's entry, action, chase sequences and to punch dialogues, many used to get emotional as they leave theatres knowing that it was the last time that Puneeth was entertaining them on big screen," a theatre owner tells.
Collection:
The makers of James have not spoken about the business part although there is a lot of speculation doing rounds about the box office collection of the movie on TV channels and internet. While trade trackers have predicted the movie to have garnered over Rs 12 crore in Karnataka alone, there are unconfirmed reports which claim the Puneeth Rajkumar-starrer to have amassed over 30 crore on the first day in the state alone.
The reports claim that James has collected over Rs 40 crore at the worldwide box office.
James is an action thriller in which Priya Anand plays the female lead while Sarath Kumar has enacted an important character.
