Murder 2 kills all competition

Bhatts get their biggest hit with ���Murder��� 2 doing a business of Rs 22 crores in its first weekend. Chillar Party starts slow despite the Salman Khan factor.
The Friday gone by saw two divergently different releases ��� an adult film Murder 2 and a children���s film Chillar Party. The business was as much diverse.
While the overnight success of Murder catapulted Bhatts into the big league, Murder 2 has exceeded expectations way beyond what audiences, trade circles or even the Bhatts might have imagined.This moderate budget film from the Bhatt camp has done a nett business of more than Rs 22 crores in its opening weekend, which is a record-breaking figure. Clearly bags the superhit title in its first week itself.
The other release, Chillar Party, despite the positive reviews and good word of mouth, had a slow start at the box office. Opening weekend collections is around Rs 3 crore nett but considering Salman Khan���s association and endorsement of the film, it should have done better business. Nevertheless, the low production costs should ensure decent returns. The third release ��� a less-known live action animation film 5ters ��� Castle of the Dark Masters obviously had no takers.
From the earlier week���s releases, Delhi Belly continued to do mind-blowing business collecting a record Rs 11 crores in its second week also. Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap fizzled out in its second week in terms of theatrical business.
The coming Friday sees only one Bollywood release Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara starring Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin. With an impressive cast and director behind it, the film looks promising and should open well. It has competition not by Bollywood but a Hollywood film. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 releases this Friday and Potter fans wouldn���t want to miss the last in the series.
Top 5 Films this Week
Film: Murder 2
Position: 1
Director: Mohit Suri
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Prashant Narayanan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sulagna
Upside: Interesting plot, Prashant Narayanan���s abnormal characterization and performance, decent direction, good music
Downside: Stretched second half, clich��d climax, unconnected romance track of Emraan-Jacqueline
Running Week: 1
Trade Comments: In terms of its business, Murder 2 has exceeded expectations way beyond what audiences, trade circles or even the Bhatts might have imagined. This moderate budget film from the Bhatt camp has done a nett business of more than Rs 22 crores in its opening weekend, which is a record-breaking figure. Clearly bags the superhit title in its first week itself.
Film: Delhi Belly
Position: 2
Director: Abhinay Deo
Cast: Imran Khan, Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapoor, Poorna Jagganathan, Vijay Raaz
Upside: Superb humour, riveting story, good performances, authentic dark comedy feel
Downside: Practically nothing
Running Week: 1
Trade Comments: The buzz about this film is so strong that even in its second week it has collected a whopping sum of around Rs 11 crores which is a record. Certainly more than just hit!
Film: Chillar Party
Position: 3
Director: Vikas Bahl, Nitesh Tiwari
Cast: Naman Jain, Irfan Khan, Sanath Menon, Rohan Grover
Upside: Charming performances by child cast, fun film balanced with poignant moments, decent direction
Downside: Superficial and preachy climax, gets contrived and stretched in second half
Running Week: 1
Trade Comments: Despite the positive reviews and good word of mouth, this small film with child protagonists had a slow start at the box office. Opening weekend collections is around Rs 3 crore nett but considering Salman Khan���s association and endorsement of the film, it should have done better business. Nevertheless, the low production costs should ensure decent returns.
Film: Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap
Position: 4
Director: Poori Jaggannadh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Sood, Prakash Raj, Hema Malini, Charmme Kaur
Upside: Amitabh Bachchan carries off the film smoothly, entire styling of the film
Downside: Wafer-thin plot, dull dialogues, diluted tribute to Big B
Running Week: 2
Trade Comments: Business dropped in its second weekend and the film has collected around Rs 13.5 crores so far. Made in a controlled budget of approx Rs. 10 crores, the film has already recovered money through non-theatrical avenues. The satellite right has fetched the producers a whopping Rs 13.5 crores. So, overall Bbuddah... should be a profitable venture.
Film: Double Dhamaal
Position: 5
Director: Indra Kumar
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Ashish Choudhary, Javed Jaffrey, Kangana Ranaut, Mallika Sherawat
Upside: Some funny moments
Downside: Weak story, slapstick humour
Running Week: 3
Box Office Verdict: Above Average