Box office: 'The Jungle Book' makes a roaring entry

A still from The Jungle Book

'The Jungle Book' seems to have hit the right chord with Indian audiences. The film, which released in the country a week before the US and UK has become the second highest opener of 2016 - the first being 'Airlift'.

Also read: 'The Jungle Book' - Movie Review

A still from The Jungle Book

The movie minted Rs 10.09 crore on its opening day and saw a steady growth in business over the weekend. The film's weekend collection has surpassed many Bollywood movies such as 'Ki & Ka', 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3' and 'Ghayal Once Again'.

Says trade analyst Amod Mehra, "Hollywood beat Bollywood yet again. 'The Jungle Book' got a terrific opening on Friday and even though the IPL's opening match was on Saturday, the collections weren't affected at all. Sunday too saw packed theatres. The film's first weekend collections are at par with any big Hindi film. On the other hand, the erotic film Love Games failed to lure audiences to theatres and has been rejected completely. Now all eyes are on Shah Rukh Khan's Fan which definitely looks like this year's first blockbuster."

"'The Jungle Book' continues its remarkable run at the box office. It is all set to cross the Rs 50 crore mark before this weekend itself. The terrific buzz around the film proves that strong content and smart marketing can work wonders at the BO. The film recorded the second highest opening weekend of 2016 after 'Airlift'. The other film, Vikram Bhatt's 'Love Games', which released alongside 'The Jungle Book' failed to make an impact," adds Taran Adarsh.

Also read: 'Love Games' - Movie Review

Tara Alisha and Gaurav Arora in still from 'Love Games'

Previous week's release Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor starrer 'Ki & Ka' continues to go strong as well. The film collected Rs 8.24 crore in the second week.

BO stats
Rs 40.19crore
'The Jungle Book' (opening weekend)

Rs 8.24crore
'Ki & Ka' (second weekend; total: Rs 45.81 crore)