As a matter of fact, the new release Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is not really posing any danger to this Vicky Kaushal film which is a set affair and would continue to attract audiences.
After the first day collections of Rs 8.75 crore and then a huge jump on the Republic Day holiday (Rs 18.20 crore), one would have expected Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi to be on fire for days to follow. However, that was not the case as the film managed a double-digit score for only one more day (Sunday), post which the collections came down to normal levels.
As a result, the film currently stands at Rs 61.15 crore. Though these are still the second-best week-one numbers of 2019 after Uri - The Surgical Strike (Rs 70.94 crore), one expected a lot better. That said, the film's box office performance is still the best for Kangana Ranaut in a really long time ever since the release of Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
The Aanand L. Rai directed film had a lesser weekend in comparison (Rs 38 crore). However, it picked up gradually and scored very high on the basis of audiences' word-of-mouth, managing to collect Rs 70 crore in the first week. Later, the film went on to garner a business of Rs 152 crore, hence emerging as a blockbuster.
Now, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi, made at a double-digit budget, is struggling to reach the Rs 100-crore mark. Still, it is far better than what Kangana Ranaut's previous films like I Love NY (Rs 2.50 crore), Katti Batti (Rs 27 crore), Rangoon (Rs 23 crore) and Simran (Rs 17 crore) had done in their lifetime, all of which were flops or disasters.
There is some continued good news for Uri - The Surgical Strike though. The film is continuing to be unstable, with Rs 171.07 crore been reached after three weeks. One would have expected the film to slow down owing to the release of Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi and Thackeray. However, that has perhaps made a difference of just 20 percent to its third week's total as it is continuing to find audiences with every passing day.
Now that the film has entered its fourth week, it is still retaining 4-5-6 shows per multiplex, which is a very good sign. As a matter of fact, the new release Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is not really posing any danger to this Vicky Kaushal film which is a set affair and would continue to attract audiences.
While Rs 190-195 crore lifetime for the Aditya Dhar directed film is now a given, it would be interesting to see how close it reaches towards the 200-crore mark. There isn't any competition next week either, which means the film has the playground all for itself right till the arrival of Gully Boy on February 14 this year.
If this Ronnie Screwvala film indeed reaches the Rs 200-crore mark, it would be the first ever instance of a mid-size film scoring such a huge feat. Though there have been quite a few such films that have entered the Rs 100-crore club, emerging as blockbusters, Uri - The Surgical Strike has its eyes on being an all-time-blockbuster if it manages such a remarkable feat.
Thackeray, though, hasn't really seen much going for it after a reasonably fair first day and then a good second day. Post that, it has been just about fine with falling collections over the weekdays. With the Hindi and Marathi versions together bringing in Rs 30 crore, this Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer has been the third choice for the audiences in the week gone by.
The show count for the film has been drastically reduced in the current week and by the look of things, it would fold up under the Rs 40 crore-mark – an average affair and that too primarily in the Maharashtra belt. As for the rest of the country, no great show here.
