Sonam Kapoor-starrer "Neerja," which received rave reviews on its release, has opened to a phenomenal response. The film started on an average note, but the occupancy doubled after the morning shows.
"Neerja," which is based on the real-life story of flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, was released in limited screens on Feb. 19. The film, which was released in approximately 700 theatres, earned Rs 4.70 crore on its opening day.
"#Neerja Fri ₹ 4.70 cr [700 theatres/limited shows]. India biz... Expect biz to zoom upwards on Sat and Sun... Quality cinema triumphs!" trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, adding, "#Neerja: Strong merits + Superb word of mouth + Glowing reviews spread like wild fire, even before Day 1 could come to a close... #Neerja: Biz witnessed SUPER growth towards evening/night shows. Numbers multiplied rapidly, especially at metros."
The Ram Madhvani directorial received tremendous appreciation from celebrities, critics and audiences on social media platforms. The positive word of mouth on social media increased the occupancy in several circuits, including Mumbai, Delhi, National Capital Region, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai.
The film minted approximately Rs 1 crore from Delhi and UP circuits, and approximately 1.25 crore from Mumbai region on its opening day, Box Office India reports. After a phenomenal first day, the film is expected to show a good jump over the weekend, but it remains to be seen whether it will repeat the success of Deepika Padukone's "Piku" and Kangana Ranaut's "Tanu Weds Manu Returns."
Both "Piku" and "Tanu Weds Manu Returns" had female characters in the lead role. And though the genres are different, "Neerja" witnessed the same trend at the box office as "Piku" and "Tanu Weds Manu Returns" did on the opening day. Now all eyes are on Sonam-starrer "Neerja" second day box office collection.
The film features Sonam as Neerja, Shabana Azmi as her mother, Yogendra Tiku as her father and Shekhar Ravjiani as her love interest.
Note: 1 lakh = 100,000 | 1 crore = 10 million | 100 crore = 1 billion
