Raksha Bandhan vs Laal Singh Chaddha: Akshay Kumar`s film witnesses slow start, check latest Box Office collections

It is to be noted that Akshay Kumar`s last releases `Samrat Prithviraj` and `Bachchhan Paandey` had opened at Rs 10.7 crore and Rs 13.25 crore respectively.

NEW DELHI: Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar's family drama 'Raksha Bandhan' has reportedly witnessed an extremely slow start at the Box Office on day 1. The film has seen barely a 12-15 per cent occupancy throughout the country, which is lower than the already low expectations, sending both the trade and film industry in shock. In fact, the opening of 'Raksha Bandhan' is poorer than Aamir Khan and Karena Kapoor-starrer 'Laal Singh Chaddha', which itself is very low at 15-20 per cent occupancy. As per reports, the opening figure of 'Raksha Bandhan' stands at around Rs 8 crore in comparison to 'Laal Singh Chaddha', which is at Rs 12 crore. 

It is to be noted that Akshay Kumar's last two releases 'Samrat Prithviraj' and 'Bachchhan Paandey' had opened at Rs 10.7 crore and Rs 13.25 crore respectively. 

As per noted film critic Taran Adarsh, 'Raksha Bandhan' minted over Rs 8.20 crore in its opening, which is quite disappointing for the makers. "#RakshaBandhan has a disappointing start on Day 1... Mass circuits perform better [good occupancy in evening shows], but metros are extremely weak... Biz needs to grow/jump from Fri-Sun to improve its prospects... Thu Rs 8.20 cr. #India biz," Taran tweeted. 

A Bollywood Life report claimed that while 'Raksha Bandhan' was almost a non-starter in high-end metro areas, it somehow managed to perform better in mass belts like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat than 'Laal Singh Chaddha'. Based on the occupancy and trend going forward, 'Raksha Bandhan' is headed for an opening in the Rs 8-10 crore nett range. 

Directed by Aanand L Ra, 'Raksha Bandhan' is written by Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon. The film is produced by Colour Yellow Productions, Zee Studios, and Alka Hiranandani in association with Cape Of Good Films. Apart from Akshay and Bhumi, 'Raksha Bandhan' also stars Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Sadia Khateeb and Smrithi Srikanth, who will be seen as Khiladi Kumar's sisters. The film was shot in Delhi last year. 

On the other hand, Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor's much-awaited film 'Laal Singh Chaddha', which also arrived in cinemas on August 11, has reportedly left the fans disappointed with its poor opening. Despite Thursday being a holiday, the Aamir Khan-starrer could garner only Rs 12 crore, as per early estimates. According to a report by Box Office India, 'Laal Singh Chaddha' opened in the range of around Rs 10-11 crore as it was released on the occasion of 'Raksha Bandhan'. The film recorded a 15-20 per cent occupancy, which is a worrying figure for an Aamir Khan film. The opening day figures, according to a report by Box Office India, are anything between Rs 10-11 crore. 

Meanwhile, the film has received a poor rating on IMDb. 'Laal Singh Chaddha' has received a rating of 3.5 on IMDb based on 12,000 votes. This is a very poor rating, and reportedly is Aamir's lowest-rated film on IMDb so far. His major flops like 'Mela', 'Dhoom 3' and 'Thugs of Hindostan' have a better rating on IMDb than 'Laal Singh Chaddha'. However, the rating on IMDb can be changed if more votes are cast in the favour of the film.