'Grand Masti' grosses Rs 100 crore

The box office is probably one of the most unpredictable things. While new releases have proven to be duds, the buzz of the earlier releases are also seeing a dip. The good news though, is that 'Grand Masti' has become the highest grossing adult comedy, of all time, by collecting Rs 100 crore gross worldwide, and Rs 95.25 crore in India as per official figures. In its third week, Grand Masti continues to reign at the box office. But this could be because there haven't been too many impressive releases either. The Lunchbox also continues to do well, in various parts and has collected Rs 16.59 crore in its first week and second weekend. Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh explains, "Grand Masti is holding well in week three, and The Lunchbox has managed to do well too, but the figures have definitely dropped gradually for both the films."

According to trade expert Girish Johar, 'Grand Masti' has crossed Rs 100 crore, worldwide, and become the highest grossing adult comedy. The Lunchbox did well according to its budget in the first week, and it is doing decently in the second week also. 'Phata Poster Nikla Hero' has done a business of around Rs 33 crore so far, but that's not very good. However, producer Ramesh Taurani isn't complaining. "The film has proven to be above average, though we did expect it to become a super hit.

But we have recovered our mone and are hoping that it will maintain the business, this week too," says Taurani. Akshay Rathi, of Rathi Group of cinema says, "We have Grand Masti in few of our theatres and Phata Poster... in a few others, but the former is definitely doing better. It has emerged as a path-breaking film when it comes to business in the adult comedy genre. While many may not endorse it openly, a lot of people have clearly enjoyed the film." In the new releases we have the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer, Besharam which saw a Gandhi Jayanti release. Films such as Warning 3D, Prague and Raqt are also in theatres, but are being dubbed as disasters. "Among the new releases though, Warning 3D is still doing better than others," states Adarsh while Johar opines, "Warning 3D hasn't fared well, and it didn't live up to the expectations. And Prague isn't even worth talking about." Warning 3D collected approximately Rs 2.75 crore in its opening weekend. Among the Hollywood releases in India, films such as Rush and Elisyium are doing well, while Prisoners is doing decently. Lined up for next week, are Runner Runner and Diana and both seem promising.

Akshay Kumar Decides To Breathe Fury At OUATIMD Critics

Our homegrown Khiladi #1 is clearly sharing Once Upon a time in Mumbai Dobarara producer Ekta Kapoor's bad mood these days. After the movie lost out to Chennai Express at the box office, it seems the critics took care of whatever else was left, calling it 'not even a one-time watch'.

A fuming Akshay Kumar lashed out at the critics saying that the only opinion that matters is that of the audience watching the movie, and that the critics need to be writing about that rather than their own. He further added that 'the audience is never wrong'.

The rant continued with Akshay adding that most critics don't know the basics of filmmaking which makes them unfit to understand what today's smart audience appreciates. He added that he only respects those critics who write keeping the viewers in mind.

But, why this late in the day Akshay? Could it have anything to do with the fact that Ekta Kapoor is none too happy with Akshay either, for allegedly not being present during the movies promotional activities? Or for that matter not taking a cue from King Khan himself, who continued to promote the movie days after it was released.

One thing's for sure, Akshay's reaction came right around the time it was reported that Chennai Express is close to touching the Rs.200-crore mark in profits while presently resting at a whopping Rs.197 crore. Clearly a case of too many bitter lemons for Lemony Snickets.

SRK's Special Rakhi Gift For Fans - Buy 2 Chennai Express Tickets, Get 1 Free

Shahrukh Khan implores yet another unique and innovative way to thank his fans with a buy two get one free Raksha Bandhan offer.

Shah Rukh Khan has created yet another innovative marketing strategy. As a promotional offer on Raksha Bandhan,Chennai Express gives out one free ticket for every two bought at cinemas all across India.

Chennai Expresscontinues to get great reaction at the box office as well as with critics.

The movie has already crossed Rs157 crores in a week and was the fastest film to cross 100 crores in three days. The film boasts a talented cast and a well written script that creates the perfect family outing.

So brothers treat your sisters and take them out for a fun filled evening with the whole family and take advantage of this offer.

Shah Rukh Khan Banned From Entering Two Mumbai Multiplexes

Two Mumbai mall multiplexes refused to entertain Shah Rukh Khan for the promotion of his latest film Chennai Express.

Even as Shah Rukh Khan's Chennai Express enters its second week, the star is leaving no stone unturned to promote his film as much as possible. In fact, he has also been visiting several theatres across the city to check out the audience's reaction to his movie, in which he features alongside Deepika Padukone. However, he took to his microblogging site on Thursday to declare that he had been denied entry at two city multiplexes.

Insiders say the surprising rule was levied on the star keeping in mind the public safety at the shopping malls that house these theatres. Shah Rukh tweeted "Have to avoid visiting PVR Phoenix Kurla and PVR Phoenix Lower Parel. Independenceday rush etc. Will see you at rest of the enlisted theaters." And before that he had tweeted, "Have been refrained by authorities from visiting PVR Phoenix Kurla and PVR Phoenix Lower Parel..Will see you at the other enlisted theaters."

According to a source close to the theatre owners, Shah Rukh had approached them to seek permissions to visit the venue. "SRK had been granted the permission by the multiplexes and it was duly advertised. But at the last minute, the mall owners reversed their decision. The reason provided by them for making a U-turn was that SRK's presence would bring in huge crowds of people and that at the last minute, they hadn't been able to arrange for adequate man power to control the swelling crowds. On national holidays, the footfall nearly doubles. But if he still decided to come, we are ready to welcome him," adds the source.

An employee at the mall, on the condition of anonymity, says, "The last time when a big star had come for a visit, it had resulted in a lot of property damage amounting to huge losses for the owners. This time they want to play safe.

Chennai Express slammed by critics, loved by audiences

When the content is good, a film works despite bad reviews. Chennai Express is the best example of this. Defying critics, replete with witty dialogues, an entertaining story and Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone's never-seen-before-kind-of-personas, the romantic comedy zoomed at superfast speed at the box office to earn Rs.100 crore in the first weekend itself - and is headed to rake in much more moolah.

Before the release, the 47-year-old superstar had described it as a family entertainer and true to this, all the family members can thoroughly enjoy it together, thanks to its clean content.

"Kya gadar film banai hai," said a 10-year-old during the course of the movie at the capital's Rivoli theatre.

Gaurav Verma, director, India Theatrical Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV, said Chennai Express has shown an amazing sustenance post its record opening Friday.

"The film maintained it on the second and the third day, which shows how well it is being accepted and loved by the audiences. This is the only reason why it has successfully created a new benchmark at the box office and will continue to do so," Verma said in a statement.

The film was crucial to Shah Rukh as his last few releases like Ra.One and Jab Tak Hai Jaan failed to live up to the expectations of the viewers as well as the distributors.

However, Rohit Shetty seems to have bailed out Shah Rukh by giving him a makeover in Chennai Express, which also marks coming of age of Deepika, who has hit the bull's eye with her performance as a Tamil speaking girl.

Chennai Express hit over 3,500 screens in the country and about 800 screens abroad, including seven unconventional markets - Peru, Morocco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Israel.

The action comedy, made at a budget of Rs.70 crore, earned Rs. 6.75 crore from Thursday previews in India and on opening day, Aug 9, Rs.33.12 crore. The movie, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment and UTV Motion Pictures, pulled in Rs.28.05 crore on Saturday and Rs. 32.50 crore on Sunday. The total amounted to Rs. 100.42 crore net in India.

As always, Shah Rukh Khan didn't leave any stone unturned to promote the film despite health issues.

From appearances on TV shows to launching a game prior to the movie's release, the makers of

Chennai Express did everything to hammer it into everyone's mind. And this has paid rich dividends.

The film didn't get rave reviews from the critics, who panned it saying it is a "big, fat bore" and "a slog". But Shetty, who has directed hit films like Singham and the Golmaal series, was unperturbed as bad reviews are his lucky charm and it has turned out to be true in this case as well.

Karthik Kumar, a film blogger, said: "It's an archetypal Rohit Shetty film with lots of fun. You can't expect his films to pique your intellect, can you? It's for the masses and I'm sure they are loving it."

Apart from criticism, there were other hurdles.

The Chitrapat Sena, the film wing of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, threatened to disrupt and stop its release as it reportedly attempted to remove ongoing popular Marathi movies from single-screen cinemas in the state.

But criticism and hurdles notwithstanding, Chennai Express is racing ahead at the box office and re-strengthening Shah Rukh's position, which got a blow after the debacle of his last few films.

Now Chennai Express seems to be on the road to create history.

Sowmya Iyer, a fan of Shah Rukh, said: "I think it's superb movie, which for the first time the director has attempted to make a fusion movie of Tamil and Hindi. It is full of comedy, emotion which we love. Hats off to SRK and Rohit shetty."

The Rs 100 crore club: Leading ladies who are part of the elite list

They may not be credited much for the blockbuster films they feature in but actresses who are part of the elite Rs 100 crore club are part of the A-list of actors who demand an hefty fee for each their films.









2013 clearly belongs to Deepika Padukone. She has had three releases this year- 'Race 2', 'Yeh Jawaani hai Deewani' and 'Chennai Express'- all of which have earned Rs 100 crore at the Box Office. While 'Race 2' was a multi starrer, YJHD and 'Chennai Express' saw Deepika evolve as a better actress.




One of the few actresses who tasted enormous success in her very first film, Sonakshi Sinha can easily be called the lucky charm of Bollywood. Of the six films that she has starred in, four have earned Rs 100 crores. The actress has a big release lined up in the coming week, which trade pundits predict, will cement her position at the top.



She showed her versatility in 'Barfi!' which made it to the Rs 100 club. Her film 'Agneepath' is also part of the same club. Priyanka also happens to be the highest paid actress in Bollywood currently. With her music album making waves, she has also established her name internationally.





She lives up to her family's name. The glamorous Kareena Kapoor has been part of three blockbuster films- '3 Idiots', 'RA.One' and 'Bodyguard' and has also proved her acting prowess in films like 'Heroine' and 'Talaash'.





Asin was already a star down south when she made her debut in Bollywood. Her first film 'Ghajini' was one of the first films to earn Rs 100 crore. She followed it up with 'Ready' and 'Housefull 2'.





Some call Katrina Kaif plain lucky as she happen to feature in super hit films. But as an actress Kaif has evolved and was also appreciated for her performance in 'Ek Tha Tiger' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan'.





The bubbly zesty Anushka Sharma has slowly been making heads turn with her performances. The actress won several awards for her role in 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' and has some interesting films lined up in the future including one with Anurag





Almost there.. She is known as the female SRK and is the only actress whose films have worked at the Box Office inspite of no big actor featuring in them. Vidya Balan has changed the way filmmakers perceive hindi film heroines and has proved that even if a film lacks a superstar, it can work solely on the basis of a good script and great performance. Post the success of 'The Dirty Picture' and 'Kahaani', Balan is definitely part of the A-list even though the films may not have earned Rs 100 crore.



Sonam Kapoor may have been in news for her clothes than her film roles all this while but the success of 'Raanjhanaa' has definitely proved her critics wrong. The lady also gave a restraint performance in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' where she had a cameo role. Sonam, clearly is choosing her scripts well.

All Records Shattered, ‪Chennai Express‬ Collects 100 Cr Nett Over Weekend

UAE 13.25 cr
Singapore 03.75 cr
UK 09.00 cr
Australia, New Zealand 02.50 cr
USA,Canada 08.00 cr
Rest Of The World 07.75 cr Total Overseas
Collections 44.25 cr*

Domestic Collection : Thursday (Paid Preview) 06.75 cr nett
Friday 33.12 cr nett Saturday 28.05 cr nett Sunday 32.75 cr nett
Total Domestic Collections 100.67 cr nett
Total Overseas Collections 44.25 cr
Total Worldwide Collections 144.92 cr