Ajay Devgn’s Raid is 2018’s biggest weekend opener after Padmaavat, earns Rs 41 crore

Ajay Devgn’s latest film, Raid, had made Rs 41 crore in its first weekend at the box office, becoming 2018’s second biggest weekend opener after Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat.

Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted a list of this year’s biggest weekend openers on Monday. “TOP 5 - 2018 Opening Weekend biz...1. #Padmavaat Rs 114 cr [extended weekend; select previews on Wed, released on Thu]... Note: Hindi + Tamil + Telugu.2. #Raid Rs 41.01 cr 3. #PadMan Rs 40.05 cr 4. #SonuKeTituKiSweety #SKTKS Rs 26.57 cr 5. #Pari Rs 15.34 cr India biz,” he wrote in a tweet.

Raid had a slow start on Friday, making Rs 10 crore. However, it picked momentum over the next two days, making Rs 13.86 crore on Saturday and Rs 17.11 crore on Sunday. Adarsh attributed the film’s success to ‘strong word of mouth.’

The film, set in 1981, tells the story of an income tax officer in Lucknow, who takes on the ‘powerful corrupt’ in an effort to help the poor. Raid is directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, who previously made Aamir and No One Killed Jessica. The film also stars Ileana D’Cruz and Saurabh Shukla.

Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times gave the film 2.5 stars in her review. “With tighter editing, slightly less focus on the wannabe love story and a lesser dose of melodrama, Raid could have been a gripping thriller,” she had written.

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