The positive word of mouth and good reviews for Panga seems to have worked in its favour with the film collecting Rs 14.91 crore over the weekend. It earned Rs 6.6 crore on its third day, Rs 5.61 crore on its second day and Rs 2.7 crore on the first day.
Meanwhile, Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer Street Dancer 3D earned Rs 13.21 crore on Saturday and ended up with a 2 day collection of Rs 23.47.
Street Dancer 3D saw much higher numbers at the box office on opening day than Kangana Ranaut’s Panga. Both films released on 24 January.
Street Dancer 3D earned Rs 10.26 crore on day 1 and is likely to see growth over the weekend, according to film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari directorial Panga had a slow start, earning only Rs 2.70 crores. Adarsh observed that occupancy at theatres in tier 2 and tier 3 cities was weak. However, he wagered that strong word of mouth could lead to a spike in collections over the weekend.
Directed by Remo D’Souza, Street Dancer 3D, tells the tale of two rival dance troupes in London against the backdrop of issues such as illegal immigration and India-Pakistan rivalry. The film has been called out by critics for its weak storyline lack of substance. Panga, on the other hand, has been well-received by critics who have praised Kangana Ranaut’s performance in the sports drama.
Movie business analyst Atul Mohan told The Quint that both the films were expected to get an average opening (in relation to its cost of production) at the box office as the “buzz hasn’t been very high”. Considering Panga has been released across only 1,200 screens (500 fewer than Deepika’s Chhapaak), and Ajay Devgn’s Tanhaji continues to do strong business even in its third week, the Kangana-starrer faces an uphill climb at the box office.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)