Alia Bhatt’s Raazi defies all expectations at the box office, makes Rs 32 crore over weekend

Alia Bhatt’s Raazi defied all expectations on its way to a stellar Rs 32 crore opening at the box office. The spy drama about a young Kashmiri woman who turns spy for her country after being married to a Pakistani man, continued sustained its strong performance across its first three days of release.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted the figures on Monday, exclaiming that “Alia’s star power + power-packed performances + strong content + solid word of mouth helped multiply numbers.”

#Raazi has a FANTASTIC opening weekend... Alia’s star power + power-packed performances + strong content + solid word of mouth helped multiply numbers... Fri 7.53 cr, Sat 11.30 cr, Sun 14.11 cr. Total: ₹ 32.94 cr. India biz.

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) May 14, 2018

It’s about the all-important Mon... #Raazi is already a HIT, but the numbers on Mon will give an idea of how it is likely to trend on weekdays... If the film holds on strong levels on weekdays and beyond, which is likely, it will emerge a SUPER-HIT.

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) May 14, 2018

The film, directed by Meghna Gulzar, made Rs 7.5 crore on Friday and an additional Rs 11.3 and Rs 14.1 crore on Saturday and Sunday, indicating an upward trend. Adarsh predicted that if it continues on this trajectory, the film will end up becoming a ‘super hit’. He said that the all important Monday numbers will set the course for the upcoming week.

The Rs 32 crore opening was enough to find Raazi a spot on the top 5 Bollywood openings of the year list. It follows Padmaavat (Rs 114 crore), Baaghi 2 (Rs 73 crore), Raid (Rs 41 crore) and PadMan (Rs 40 crore).

Raazi’s box office performance has been helped in no small part by the excellent reviews it has received. The Hindustan Times’ four-star review said, “Raazi is a sensibly written and finely performed film that takes a close look at the ordinary lives of extraordinary people.”

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