Opening day bonanza for '2 States' with over Rs.12 crore

Mumbai, April 19 (IANS) Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer "2 States", which released

Friday, raked in around Rs.12 crore on its opening day in the country. The movie, based on a bestseller by author Chetan Bhagat, is poised to draw in more viewers over the weekend, say industry experts.

According to sources, the first day collection for the entertainer, directed by first-timer Abhishek Varman, is Rs. 12.42 cr net.

Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines, said: "The film is doing very good business at the box office. It has gone beyond expectations. The film has collected close to Rs.12 crore on Friday. It is great and its almost going housefull on many theatres today (Saturday)."

"If the film goes in the same pace, it will certainly create a record for itself," he added.

The movie is also said to be going housefull in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Sanjay Ghai from Mukta Arts said: "The film is going housefull, and that is commendable. With out having any Khans or A-listers, the film has managed to pull maximum crowd.

"The film collected Rs.2.25 crore on Friday from Delhi, and all over India, it's business was close to Rs.12 to Rs.13 crore."

Co-produced by Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala and distributed by UTV Motion Pictures, the film tells the story of a couple belonging to two different states.

Talking about how the movie has fared so far, Amrita Pandey, vice president and head of marketing and distribution, Studios - Disney India, said: "'2 States' had a phenomenal jump start right from morning shows on Friday all over the country and across all centres.

"Many cinemas were running to packed capacities, and added shows on the first day itself. The movie is geared for a great run. In key international markets like North America, Australia and Britain, the movie was running to high occupancies and the opening day collections were great."

The movie was released in nearly 2,400 screens worldwide. In India, "2 States" released in over 2,000 screens and internationally, it released in close to 350 screens in 30 countries.