With biggies like Laal Singh Chaddha, Raksha Bandhan theatrical occupancy hits a new low; will the films survive?

Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan were among the most-anticipated releases of this year amid the extended lull at the box office. The latest reports suggest that the two films have not lived up to the expectation as the opening day occupancy lagged at 12-20 percent. Even their advance bookings were low, predicting a weak start at the box office.

According to boxofficeindia.com, Aamir Khan starrer Laal Singh Chaddha took a sluggish start with a 15-20 percent opening collection. The film is reported to be performing better in Delhi NCR and South, even East Punjab, Mumbai city, and West Bengal show decent numbers. While the opening across the mass belts is very dull, however, it is expected that the numbers may improve in coming as per experts.

Also read: Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha and Akshay Kumar's Raksha Bandhan advance bookings lower than disastrous Shamshera, Samrat Prithviraj 

On the other hand, Akshay Kumar starrer Raksha Bandhan registered 12-15% of opening numbers. In many places like Gujarat, Bihar, and UP, it is working better than Laal Singh Chaddha. The decent collections are coming from multiplexes only while singles remain poor. Given that the film was released on the festival of Raksha Bandhan, the initial numbers seem alarming. However, the trade analysts predict that the collection will improve over the weekend but it is unlikely to show a huge jump in occupancy. Though Laal Singh Chaddha may show a higher rise as compared to Raksha Bandhan, it would be certainly lower than Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.

Directed by Advait Chandan, Laal Singh Chaddha revolves around a simple man named Laal and his extraordinary journey. The film stars Aamir in the titular role, while Kareena Kapoor Khan plays his love interest. The film is an Indian adaptation of Tom Hanks starrer Forrest Gump. The movie also has Naga Chaitanya and Mona Singh in prominent roles. On the other hand, Akshay’s Raksha Bandhan is an emotional family drama that talks about the brother-sister bond. Directed by Aanand L Rai, the film also stars Bhumi Pednekar, Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Sadia Khateeb, and Smrithi.