Ritesh Batra's romantic film "The Lunchbox", which has received critical acclaimation, has witnessed a jump in its collections on Saturday. The Irrfan Khan-Nimrat Kaur starrer registered 120 percent growth by earning ₹2.6 crore.
"#TheLunchbox witnesses 120% growth on Sat. Collects ₹2.6 cr. Expecting further jump on Sun. Excellent," trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh said.
"The Lunchbox" was released only in 400 screens across the country. The film, termed as one of the finest films in Indian cinema, made a business of about ₹1.25 crore on its opening day.
The film has accumulated ₹3.85 crore from the domestic box office. Keeping in mind the limited number of screens, the earnings are pretty good compared to the collections of other big budget films.
According to reports, "The Lunchbox" was made on a budget of approximately ₹9 crore. The figures are not yet confirmed by the film's producers.
"I cannot reveal the budget of the film. All I can say is that it is a low-medium budget film. It is a small film," Vivek Rangachari of DAR Motion Pictures, one of the co-producers, told IANS.
Earlier this year, "The Lunchbox" won Critics Week Viewers Choice Award and best film award at the World Cinema Amsterdam Film Festival. The film was one of the strong contenders for India's official entry to Oscars in the foreign film category.
However, the selection committee of 16 people headed by filmmaker Goutam Ghose chose Gujarati film "The Good Road" as India's entry for the Academy Awards.
