Horror Beats Romance & Patriotism @ Bollywood Box Office

This Friday’s box-office battle delivered an unexpected winner. While industry attention was focused on romantic and patriotic dramas, it was Vikram Bhatt’s horror film Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past that emerged victorious with a solid opening of ₹2.50 crore net, making it the best-performing new release of the week.

The bigger surprise came from Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga. Despite strong critical appreciation and positive word-of-mouth, the film managed to collect only ₹1.18 crore on its opening day, leaving trade circles stunned. Kangana Ranaut’s patriotic drama Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata opened with ₹1 crore, while Manoj Bajpayee’s Governor struggled further, earning just ₹92 lakh on day one.

Among Hollywood releases, Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day posted a respectable ₹1.90 crore opening, whereas Backrooms collected ₹75 lakh. Meanwhile, the box office continues to be dominated by holdover releases.

Obsession remains the strongest performer among current releases, adding another ₹3.30 crore on its third Friday. The film’s total has now reached an impressive ₹53.10 crore net in India and is showing remarkable staying power.

Varun Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai entered its second week with ₹1.85 crore on Friday, taking its overall collection to ₹38.70 crore net. The weekend now becomes crucial. While Haunted 3D has taken an early lead, all eyes will be on whether the positive reviews for Main Vaapas Aaunga can translate into stronger collections over the next two days.