Akshay Kumar continues to be on a roll, and that's not by luck but due to some smart choices, hard work and tight cost controls put into place. For the third time in 2016, he has seen a good opening for a film of his. Rustom was always expected to open well and once the promo was unveiled, there was no denying the fact that it would gain good appreciation too. As the film came closer to release, the marketing elements fitted in brilliantly as the last 10 days belonged entirely to the Zee and KriArj affair. Just about everything was cantered on Rustom as far as media coverage was concerned and that showed in numbers.
With an opening number of Rs. 14.11 crore, the film has shown good coverage across the length and breadth of the country. With a controlled release across 2317 screens (which is lower than Airlift and much lower than Housefull 3), the film has still taken an opening where the numbers are better than Airlift [Rs. 12.35 crore] and just little lesser than Housefull 3 [Rs. 15.2 crore]. In terms of occupancy, the film is doing much better though, and that shows how the film had good momentum going for it en route release, and further positive word of mouth helped it consolidate its status by the evening and night shows.
What makes it all further notable is the fact that this is Akshay Kumar's third release in seven months and still audiences are waiting to catch a new film from him. While the man is certainly working hard to finish the films in jiffy, the manner in which he is juggling his films across genres with different stories says a lot about the smart choices that he is making. Moreover, the economics of Rustom is well under control as well which made it a successful bet on the table itself. The film should start making profits very soon and after Monday, it would have to be seen that how much bigger does it eventually become.
For now, the film is a definite Hit in the making and the economics warrant that further hike in collections during the extended weekend would turn it into a Superhit too soon enough.
