Shahid Kapoor-Ileana's comedy caper "Phata Poster Nikla Hero" (PPNH) had a decent weekend, but the film's overall debut weekend collections remain low as it failed to have a good opening on the first day of its release at the Indian box office.
"Phata Poster Nikla Hero" raked in ₹6 crore on its first day, and witnessed significant growth on the second day (21 September) fetching approximately ₹7 crore. Adding Sunday's collections (₹8.25 crore), the total collections stand at approximately ₹21.25 crore nett in the first weekend, reported trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh.
Boxofficeindia.com reported that "PPNH" minted around ₹19.50 crore nett in its debut weekend. The film, which performed well in single screen circuits, reportedly had a better opening than Shahid's last two releases - "Teri Meri Kahaani" and "Mausam". Since the film took off on a decent start, it is expected to maintain its business during the weekdays. However, the lifetime collections of "PPNH" are expected to be low.
With no big releases this week, it remains to be seen if Shahid's film will be able to sustain its business and collect enough revenue.
Overseas markets
According to Taran, the Shahid starrer had a robust start in overseas markets including UAE-GCC. "#PhataPosterNikhlaHero embarks on a robust start in UAE-GCC. Collects AED 425,000 [₹ 72.15 lacs] on Thu," Adarsh tweeted
"#PhataPosterNikhlaHero is Shahid's biggest start when one compares it with #TeriMeriKahaani [AED 400,000] and #Mausam [AED 350,000] in UAE," he said.
Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, "PPNH" is about a man named Vishwas Rao who dreams of becoming an actor (he is a die-hard fan of Salman Khan), but ends up being mistaken for a police officer. Critics had given mixed reviews for the film, which might have hampered its collections.
The film, made on a budget of ₹40 crore, is produced by Tips Industries. The film has Ileana D'Cruz in the female lead. The other cast members include Padmini Kolhapure, Saurabh Shukla, Mukesh Tiwari and Sanjay Mishra among others. Salman Khan makes a special appearance in the flick.
"PPNH" Vs "The Lunch Box"
While Shahid's comedy entertainer witnessed some growth during the first weekend, the other release "The Lunch Box" saw a huge jump in its collections on the second day. The film's first day collections stood at ₹1.25 crore and it acquired a 120 percent growth on Saturday (21 September). The total collections of the first two days were pegged at around ₹3.85 crore.
"The Lunchbox" collections are really good considering that the film had a controlled release in just around 400 theatres and was screened in limited number of shows, according to Taran.
