‘2.0’ crosses the ₹300 crore mark, Hindi version leads
Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar-starrer '2.0', sustained its hold at the box office despite competition from Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan's 'Kedarnath'
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New Delhi: Touted as the most expensive film ever made in India, Rajinikanth’s science fiction flick 2.0 is fast making gains at the box office. The S.Shankar directed venture had made ₹ 319 crore across the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu language formats at last count, with the Hindi version alone collecting ₹ 152.50 crore. Trade website Box Office India said it wouldn’t be surprising if the Hindi version breaches the ₹ 200 crore mark in the coming days. It’s the second highest highest Hindi dubbed film, surpassing Baahubali: The Beginning (2015). Also, Rajinikanth’s highest grossing Hindi film.
In the long run, the film is competing with blockbuster war epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion that had made ₹ 1,416.9 crore in India in 2017, with the Hindi version collecting ₹ 510.99 crore. The film had earned more than ₹ 1,700 crore worldwide.
It should be noted that the Rajni and Akshay Kumar-starrer sustained its hold at the box office despite competition from Sushant Singh Rajput and Sara Ali Khan’s Kedarnath that earned around ₹ 17 crore. The new Abhishek Kapoor directed film, however, has been denied release in seven districts of Uttarakhand due to protests by Hindu outfits over its plot that is centered on the love story between a Hindu girl and a Muslim porter.
“2.0 stayed strong, despite a new release, Kedarnath eating into the screens, shows and footfalls. Expected to show substantial growth on second Saturday and Sunday," trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted on Friday.
In Rajni’s home ground Chennai, the film has made Rs18.41 crore and is likely to become the highest grosser ever in the city, beating Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Meanwhile, 2.0 has also emerged as the third Indian film in 2018, after Bollywood offerings Padmaavat and Sanju to cross the $5 million mark at the US box office. It is also the third south Indian film besides the two Baahubali movies to breach that number in the US.
2.0 had also earned £692,860 (Rs 6.31 crore) , NZ$259,824 (Rs 1.28 crore) and A$1,248,837 (Rs 6.42 crore) in the UK, New Zealand and Australia respectively by Sunday.
Backed by Lyca Productions, 2.0 has been made at a budget of ₹ 510 crore. While the satellite TV rights have gone to the Zee Network for ₹ 110 crore, about ₹ 80 crore has come from Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for distribution rights of the Hindi version.
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