The film industry can heave a sigh of relief. RACE 2, the first biggie of 2013, has made a killing in its opening weekend, garnering one of the biggest starts ever at the domestic box-office. Armed with a terrific initial, RACE 2 has won Round One [weekend business]. Post DABANGG 2, there was a virtual drought in the industry and barring TABLE NO 21, the balance releases failed to make any noise whatsoever. RACE 2 has ended the dry spell.
The fantabulous weekend business of RACE 2 must have come as a respite for UTV, which had acquired the global rights [except music] for a hefty price. Of course, one will have to wait and watch how it performs on weekdays [Tuesday to Thursday is crucial] and also in its second weekend, but with an exuberant start in India and a healthy weekend in the key markets of Overseas, RACE 2 seems to be in the safe zone, unless its business plummets in the forthcoming days.
What's heartening is that RACE 2 withstood two major oppositions -- the not too complimentary reviews and the mixed word of mouth -- and yet left a stunning impact in its first three days. The advantage was the big holiday on Saturday, 26 January, besides a part holiday on Friday and of course, the holiday on Sunday. With no major opposition in sight, RACE 2 got ample opportunity to score and it did. The question is, will it sustain the momentum? The question is, will it hit a ton? That, only time will tell!
Let's face it, the reports of the film are extremely mixed and the decline on Sunday [albeit slightly] and Monday has raised eyebrows. If the reports were positive, if the audience mandate was in its favor, the business would've been at par with Saturday on Sunday, with 30% to 40% drop on weekdays. So let's see, how it unfolds in its coming days.
The second release, AKAASHVANI, got eclipsed by the RACE 2 wave across the nation. Positioning it in the same week as RACE 2, was that the right decision? Shifting the film ahead by a couple of weeks would've benefitted it, in my opinion.
