It was predicted in this column a couple of days back that Raees would take a very good opening that would be closer to what Fan had collected [Rs. 19.2 crore] Well, the collections have exceeded even number on its opening day as they are actually turned out to be closer to Dilwale [Rs. 21 crore]. With Rs. 20.42 crore coming in, the film has now clearly exceeded expectations. Considering the fact that Wednesday was a regular working day with the only advantage being the big holiday today [Republic Day] due to which evening and night shows were better than normal, Raees has clearly taken a very positive start at the Box Office.
Yet again, Shah Rukh Khan has proven that when it comes to a good opening at the Box Office, he is staying on to be consistent as ever. Even Fan was good as it was a different kind of a Shah Rukh Khan film and now with Raees taking an opening of such level despite a clash and split of screens, it is no mean feat at all.
The film has seen decent to very good reviews come its way and that's fair, considering the fact that it has been a while since a Shah Rukh Khan film had seen largely positive acclaim. Happy New Year and Dilwale had their share of detractors and even Jab Tak Hai Jaan wasn't universally applauded. Chennai Express had a good response commercially though critically it was decent to good. Now Raees has seen a better response from all quarters and that would allow it to bring on some very good numbers over rest of the long weekend.
