Mission Mangal vs Batla House box office day 1: Akshay Kumar’s highest opener mints Rs 29 cr, John Abraham film strong at Rs 14 cr

Actor Akshay Kumar has once again emerged as the ‘khiladi’ of the box office. His latest release, Mission Mangal, has minted Rs 29.16 crore on the first day of its release, the highest opening number for any Akshay film.

According to a report in Box Office India, the film did well in city multiplexes, through good word of mouth. The collection was also helped by the fact that Thursday was a national holiday (73rd Independence Day) and a major festival (Raksha Bandhan).

Meanwhile, Thursday’s other big release, John Abraham’s Batla House also did impressive business on opening day. It is estimated to have collected Rs 14.49 crore. Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted figures for both the films on Friday.

“#MissionMangal takes a fantabulous start... #IndependenceDay holiday gives biz an additional boost... Multiplexes outstanding, mass circuits good... Emerges Akshay Kumar’s biggest opener... Thu ₹ 29.16 cr. India biz,” he wrote in a tweet. “#BatlaHouse fares well on Day 1, although the numbers are affected due to the clash... Gathered momentum post noon onwards... #IndependenceDay holiday gave its biz additional push... Will need to score from Fri-Sun... Thu ₹ 14.59 cr. India biz,” he wrote in another.

Both Mission Mangal and Batla House received average reviews from critics. The Hindustan Times review for Mission Mangal appreciated Akshay Kumar’s eager performance but was critical of the film’s treatment of its female scientists. “There are cute scenes, but it is worrisome that a film about several incredibly talented women constantly plays up their stereotypical womanhood more than their scientific acumen. These are scientists, not utterly inexperienced homemakers, and their epiphanies should not exclusively be based on examples like the frying of pooris and the hailing of auto-rickshaws,” it read.

The HT review for Batla House read, “There’s promise in the subject of a police encounter scrutinised with extreme cynicism by the rest of the nation, and it builds toward an engaging finale, but Advani (Nikhil, director) stands still too long, meandering through wooden actors and limber item-dancers in subplots that miss the point.”

Also read: Raksha Bandhan 2019: Sonam Kapoor shows off her Rakhi loot, thanks cousin Arjun Kapoor. See pics

Mission Mangal also stars Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menen and Kirti Kulhari. It is based on Indian Space Research Organisation’s successful mission to Mars.

John’s Batla House also stars Mrunal Thakur and is based on the encounter that took place on September 19, 2008, when a team of the Delhi Police Special Cell raided a flat in Batla House in south Delhi’s Jamia Nagar on a tip off that the alleged terrorists involved in the September 13, 2008 serial blasts in the national capital were holed up there.

Talking about the films’ clash, John had earlier said, “Honestly, if there was a controversy, I would have loved to create it, but Akshay and I are very dear friends, we really get along. In fact, just the other day we texted each other. There is absolutely nothing there. We are just releasing two films on the same day.”

Follow @htshowbiz for more