'Khiladi 786' takes time to warm up at the box office

Akshay Kumar's Khiladi 786 was one of the most awaited releases of the year. While the film scored on its music and good reviews, it had a rather average opening

However, Sunday brought in smiles for its investors and the film is expected to pick up, thanks to the word-of-mouth. It has raked in about Rs 34 crore in its opening weekend (Friday Rs 10.05 cr, Saturday Rs 11.25 cr and Sunday Rs 12.75 cr).

On the other hand, Talaash has collected around Rs 74.47 crore in its first 10 days, making it the biggest hit in the thriller genre. Life of Pi meanwhile stands at 0 Rs 23.50 crore till the last weekend.u00a0Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, "The film did not open as expected and while it was good in single screens, it was average in multiplexes. The second day was similar but it took a good jump on Sunday. The good part is that it has a clear week before Dabangg 2, which will help its box office collections. "

He adds, "I think the biggest reason for its average opening was that people thought Akshay was only playing a special appearance and it was a Himesh Reshammiya film." On the other hand, trade expert Atul Mohan says, "The opening has been shocking to say the least. While everyone has loved the film, it has not reflected in the collections. However with the rise in Sunday's collections, the film should sustain and turn out to be an earning film for everyone. It is a complete potboiler and that should help." u00a0