14 January,2019 11:24 AM IST | | Sonil Dedhia
A still from Uri: The Surgical Strike
Bollywood kicked off 2019 at the box office with Vicky Kaushal's Uri: The Surgical Strike, and The Accidental Prime Minister. While the industry's bet was on the Anupam Kher and Akshaye Khanna starrer that trains the lens on former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, the film managed to garner only Rs 7.5 crore over two days.
Instead, it was the Kaushal-starrer that broke the January jinx - Uri: The Surgical Strike opened at Rs 8.20 crore and saw a 50 per cent jump in collection on Saturday to earn Rs 12.43 crore, thus taking its two-day tally to Rs 20.63 crore.
Anupam Kher in The Accidental Prime Minister
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede says that the positive reviews of Uri aside, the film's footfalls are an indicator of Kaushal's rising popularity. "Last year was fantastic for Vicky with Sanju, Lust Stories, Love Per Square Foot and Manmarziyaan. He has a loyal audience and that has translated into footfalls for Uri. The audience was also curious to know how the surgical strikes were planned, which is why they went to watch the film."
Trade expert Amod Mehra says that despite its unimpressive collections, The Accidental Prime Minister may not suffer losses. "Since the film has been made on a shoe-string budget, it might be able to recover its costs. Uri is a clear winner. The audience has appreciated the performances as well as the story."
Rs 7.5cr Two-day collections of The Accidental Prime Minister
Also read: Uri: The Surgical Strike embarks Rs 12 crore on Day 2 now heading towards a strong opening weekend
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