With all of last week's releases off to a slow start, Milkha Singh's biopic seems to be racing ahead at the box office

All the three Bollywood releases of last week seem to have failed to take off to a flying start. While D-Day collected Rs 10 crore, Ramaiya Vastavaiya raked in Rs 12 crore. Anand Gandhi's Ship of Theseus brought in Rs 26 lakh.

Distributor Akshay Rathi says, `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is on a glorious run and the film has been collecting money steadily right through the first week and the second weekend.

Not only had the film opened well, the fantastic word-of-mouth has enabled it to sustain in a superb manner. I'd hardly be surprised if many cinemas across the country continue to play it in a few shows right up to Chennai Express.`
According to Rathi, the incessant rains throughout the country could have hampered the fate of the Arjun Rampal starrer gangster film.

He adds, `Ramaiya does not have established lead stars but both Girish Kumar and Shruti Haasan have delivered with sincerity. The film has taken off extremely well compared to the initial expectations. The film's appeal will ensure that it stays steady beyond the weekend and takes a significantly long run.`


Trade analyst Amod Mehra says, `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is having an outstanding run at the box office. But the same can't be said about Ship Of Theseus. It had got a limited release and very limited shows. It got a lot of critical acclaim from the press but didn't get the appreciation from the crowd.`

Regarding Ramaiya, he adds, `The music of the film has worked and it was made on a limited budget. The film falls in the safe zone, as it will get a good price from the satellite sale.`

`D-Day looks like a losing proposition, as it is an expensive film and it will have to rely on the satellite sale to cover up its cost,` he adds.

Exhibitor Girish Wankhede says, `Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has just received the tax free status in Maharastra, so the collections are bound to make a bigger jump. Ramaiya had a strong opening and had an average 50 per cent occupancy.

D-Day had a slow start but had a strong buzz by the end of the day. Interestingly, Gandhi's film has found a good number of viewers in some of the shows and the occupancy was as high as 80 to 90 per cent.`