The Kannada film KGF has narrowly edged out the most expensive film of Shah Rukh Khan’s career, Zero, at the box office. KGF, a period drama mounted on a record budget for the Kannada film industry, has minted Rs 59.61 crore, while Zero’s opening weekend numbers came in at Rs 59.07 crore.

It should be noted that while KGF was released in multiple languages, Zero focussed on the north Indian market for its release. KGF’s Hindi dub version has made close to Rs 10 crore, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

He wrote on Twitter that the south Indian film, starring Yash, had ‘gone from strength to strength’ over the weekend, making Rs 18.1 crore on Friday, Rs 19.2 crore on Saturday and a further Rs 21.8 crore on Sunday. Meanwhile, SRK’s Zero, directed by Aanand L Rai, opened to Rs 20.1 crore, and followed it up with Rs 18.2 crore and Rs 20.7 crore on Saturday and Sunday.

Both films received mixed reviews from critics, but KGF was produced on a reported budget of Rs 50 crore, while Zero was made on a reported budget of Rs 200 crore. Taran wrote that the film’s ‘real test’ will be on Wednesday and Thursday, following a predicted uptick in numbers on Christmas day.

The Hindustan Times in its three-star review of KGF wrote, “KGF, overall, is a slow burner. The plot takes its own sweet time to take shape and by the time Yash is sent to the mines on a mission, we are familiar with his past and what ticks him off.”

Meanwhile, awarding Zero three-and-a-half stars out of five, the HT review noted, “Zero becomes odder and odder as it goes along, and while the end is impossible to take seriously, the entire film is meant to be a fable.”

KGF was released on 2460 screens across India, while Zero debuted in 4380 screens. Zero is about a dwarf caught in a love triangle while KGF, intended as the first in a duology, is set in the historical Kolar Gold Fields.

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First Published: Dec 24, 2018 18:24 IST