Salman Khan-starrer Tubelight failed to get the expected response from the critics, and also in terms of box office collection. Though the movie has had a decent opening at the Indian box office, Tubelight could not generate a lot of positive response over the weekend.
Directed by Kabir Khan, Tubelight had collected Rs 21.15 crore nett on Friday at the domestic market. Being a Salman Khan film, it was expected to witness massive growth in its collection over the weekend, but that did not happen.
Read: Tubelight movie review: After Bajrangi Bhaijaan, this one is sound and fury, but little light
The war drama had earned Rs 21.17 crore on Saturday, taking its collection to Rs 42.32 crore nett by the end of its second day. The box office performance of Tubelight remained more or less similar on Sunday as well.
Tubelight collected Rs 22.45 crore on Sunday, crossing the Rs 50 crore mark conveniently. "#Tubelight Fri 21.15 cr, Sat 21.17 cr, Sun 22.45 cr. Total: ₹ 64.77 cr. India biz... Eid festivities should boost biz today + tomorrow," trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted. Although the number seems pretty good on its own, it pales in comparison with the opening box office business of Salman's last two movies – Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Sultan.
While Bajrangi Bhaijaan had made a collection of Rs 102 crore nett at Indian box office by the end of its first weekend, Sultan had collected Rs 180 crore nett in first 3 days. However, Tubelight could only manage to cross Rs 50 crore nett over the opening weekend.
Being a Eid release, Tubelight was expected to break Salman's previous box office records. But going by the present trend, it is likely to struggle in coming days. Although Tubelight is likely to earn well on Monday as it is a holiday, the numbers might fall drastically over the following weekdays.
Talking about the below-expected performance at the box office of Tubelight, Salman had said people wanted the movie to be a "masala entertainer" as it is a festive season, but they got disappointed as it turned out to be an emotional movie. However, he said he believes the movie will eventually do decent business, and will get him accolades for the serious plot.
