MUMBAI: Rohit Shetty's big budget action-comedy Chennai Express has made the most of the Eid weekend solo release. The Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone starrer's high decibel promotion has also paid rewards as the film has swept the box office to set a new weekend collection record. Also, calling it a clean family entertainer has helped, as the film ended its weekend (paid previews on 8 August included) with Rs 92 crore, an outstanding fete on all counts.
Having exhausted a lot of its 'Must Watch' audience, the film has slowed down at multiplexes but holding on well at single screens. The film left no chance of using various platforms for promotions, SRK featured on popular television fiction and non-fiction shows over the past one month including Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Madhubala: Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa, Comedy Nights With Kapil to name a few.
Of the smaller releases of the last week, BA Pass starring Shilpa Shukla (Chak De India! fame) seems to have impressed the critics as a noir film! The film managed to put together Rs 5.35 crore for its first week.
Rabba Main Kya Karoon starring Akash Chopra, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal and Riya Sen has bordered on the one crore rupees mark in its first week.
Bajatey Raho coined as a revenge comedy and having some well known names to boast off like Tusshar Kapoor, Dolly Ahluwalia, Ranvir Shorey, Ravi Kishan, Vinay Pathak, Vishakha Singh struggled to put together another Rs 55 lakh in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 7.05 crore.
Ramaiya Vastavaiya which marked the debut of Girish Kumar alongside Shruti Hassan collected Rs 1.2 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 25.85 crore.
D-Day has done reasonably well to collect Rs 1.5 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 19.5 crore.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag which saw Farhan Akhtar depict the role of 'the flying sikh' Milhka Singh has collected Rs 8.5 crore in its fourth week to take its four week total to Rs 102.75 crore.