Anurag Basu's film strikes a chord with the audience as well as the cash registers. Meanwhile 'Raaz 3' is the biggest hit in the horror genre till date

Anurag Basu's Barfi! has kicked off on a positive note. It has turned out to be a film that has not only got critical acclaim but also has brought in the numbers. The film has collected around Rs 32.5 crore in its first weekend in India (Rs 8.5 crore on Friday, Rs 10.8 crore on Saturday and Rs 13.2 crore on Sunday).

While the trade has been saying that the numbers are comparatively less for a Ranbir Kapoor film, one has to realise that the film has opened with as less as 650 screens and it is part of a strategy by its producers UTV that seems to have worked alright.

On the other hand Vikram Bhatt's Raaz 3 made around Rs 55.29 crore in its first week and around Rs 8 crore in its second weekend, making it the biggest hit in the horror genre till date. Meanwhile Ek Tha Tiger sits pretty on Rs 182.5 crore.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, `Barfi! has done well and the numbers have improved day by day. The collections on Sunday and Monday are very good and the holiday for Ganesh Chaturthi will boost the collections.

The producers have released the film mostly in multiplexes and have avoided 90 per cent of the single screens and the strategy has worked. Raaz 3 has become a hit.`

Trade analyst Atul Mohan points out, `Barfi! is a film for the high gentry audience and multiplexes. It will continue doing well in big cities on the weekdays as well. The satellite is still open, so that will bring in huge revenue for the investors.`