Box office: 'Ghayal Once Again' rakes in Rs 23 cr in its opening weekend

Sunny Deol-starrer 'Ghayal Once Again' emerged winner of the box office race last weekend, collecting Rs 23.25 crore within three days

Sunny Deol-starrer 'Ghayal Once Again' (Read review), the sequel to his 1990 blockbuster 'Ghayal', emerged winner of the box office race last weekend, collecting Rs 23.25 crore within three days. To its advantage, it had to compete with no-stars-films 'Sanam Teri Kasam' (Read review) and 'BHKBhalla@Halla.Kom'.

'Ghayal Once Again'. Pic/Santa Banta

Trade pundits say the actioner, though set in Mumbai, fared better in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and surpassed the first weekend collections of Deol's last two releases in 2013 — 'Singh Saab The Great' (Rs 15.3 crore) and 'Yamla Pagla Deewana 2' (Rs 21.5 crore).

"'Ghayal Once Again' was expected to work wonders at the box office, but despite getting favourable response from critics and single screens, it failed to excite today's generation which doesn't seem interested in pure action-drama. The weekend collections were respectable, but it is now an uphill task for the film to break even," says trade expert Amod Mehra. The film has apparently been made on a budget of nearly Rs 50 crore.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, "'Ghayal Once Again' has done well in mass circuits and been appreciated by Sunny Deol fans. In multiplexes, it received a mixed response."

'Sanam Teri Kasam', starring newcomer Harshvardhan Rane and Pak actress Mawra Hocane, bombed at the cash counters with shows being cancelled at a few places, adds Mehra. 'BHK Bhalla@Halla.Kom', on the other hand, proved to be a washout.

Among previous weeks' releases, Akshay Kumar's 'Airlift' (Read review) continued to find favour with the audience and has crossed Rs 120 crore after its third weekend-run.

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