Bollywood's latest release "Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola" opened to a dull response in several box offices in India and overseas.
Despite receiving positive to mixed reviews the movie failed to attract audiences on the first day of its release. The romantic comedy starring Pankaj Kapoor, Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma raked in ₹7.02 crore from 1850 screens in India.
The movie opened to good numbers at selected multiplexes, but overall the occupancy was below the mark. Considering it was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj's film, the film was expected to fetch some good numbers. The performance was poor at single screens.
As Punjabi film "Saadi Love Story" was released on same day, business of "MKBKM" was affected in Punjab. The business was also affected down South because of Tamil and Telugu films.
The movie is expected to show a massive jump over the weekend to survive at the box office.
The movie also started on a poor note at overseas box offices, collecting approximately ₹1.07 crores.
"UK: #MKBKM Fri £ 26,529 [Rs 23.45 lacs] from 65 locations [12 locations pending]. UAE + GCC: Thu $ 120,000 [Rs 65.77 lacs]. AUSTRALIA: #MKBKM Thu A$ 8,535, Fri A$ 16,560. Total: A$ 25,095 [Rs 14.49 lacs] from 18 locations. NEW ZEALAND: #MKBKM Thu NZ$ 1,900, Fri NZ$ 5,447. Total: NZ$ 7,347 [Rs 3.37 lacs] from 6 locations," trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh tweeted.
The film is directed, produced and co-scripted by Vishal Bhardwaj. He also scored the music of the film. It also features Arya Babbar and Shabana Azmi in supporting roles.
