26 June,2017 01:14 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
'Tubelight', the much awaited Salman Khan starrer, was met with luke-warm reviews this Friday. While, some trade pundits were quick to write the film off, some chose to reserve their judgments for Monday and Tuesday...
Salman Khan and and Sohail Khan in a still from 'Tubelight'
'Tubelight', the much awaited Salman Khan starrer, was met with luke-warm reviews this Friday. While, some trade pundits were quick to write the film off, some chose to reserve their judgments for Monday and Tuesday, when moviegoers would be celebrating Eid and a long weekend.
Known for his penchant for releasing movies over Eid and other festival holidays, Salman Khan's films like 'Ek Tha Tiger', 'Kick', 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and 'Sultan' raked in the big moolah. Which is why Tubelight's lack-luster performance at the box office came as a bit of a shocker.
But all is not lost just yet. In a recent report by Indian Express, 'Tubelight' is considered to be a slow-starter, and the real test will be when India celebrates Eid, when people will hopefully throng theaters to watch Salman Khan's film. Interestingly, 'Tubelight' started off on a weak note, grossing only Rs 21.5 cores on Friday. The second day, which is when his movies usually pick up the pace, was equally dismal. Sunday was slightly better, with better box office numbers, and took the total earnings of 'Tubelight' up to Rs 66 crores.
Also read: Salman Khan's 'Tubelight' earns Rs 42.32 crores in first two days, trade experts pin hope on Eid
Earning Rs 21.15 crores on its second day, 'Tubelight' has registered the second highest opening day collection behind only 'Baahubali' 2's Rs 41 crore (in Hindi) this year, but falls short in comparison to Shah Rukh Khan's 'Raees' collection of Rs 23.3 crores. That being said, 'Raees' was released on Republic Day, and the holiday is believed the reason for its success.
Is Eid, what 'Tubelight' really needs to succeed at the box office? While there is a slight glimmer of hope, trade pundits say that the criticism 'Tubelight' received during its release could affect overall collection at the box office.
Also read - Box office: Salman Khan starrer 'Tubelight' earns Rs 21.15 crore on day one
Internationally, the Salman Khan starrer hasn't preformed well either. It failed to charm the US audience and earned $810,000 on 342 screens in the US, $710,000 on 49 in the UAE, $270,000 on 154 screens in the UK and $232,000 on 42 screens in Australia.
Made on a budget of 100 crores, the movie seems to be falling short. As reported by Forbes, NH Studios paid Rs 132 crore for the theatrical rights of the movie in the domestic market. 'Tubelight's' makers have sold its music rights for Rs 20 crores and have also earned profits from satellite TV to Star TV.
Based on the Indo-China war, 'Tubelight' also features Sohail Khan and Chinese actress Zhu Zhu. 'Tubelight' seems to have enormous shoes to fill with the past three Salman Khan flicks grossing collections in the 100 crore range.
The weekend collection of previous Salman Khan flicks
Sultan: Rs 180.3 crore (five-day weekend as film released on Wednesday)
Bajrangi Bhaijaan: Rs 100 crore
Ek Tha Tiger: Rs 100 crore (five-day weekend as film released on Wednesday)
