Box office: Luka Chuppi closes in on Rs50 crore nett; Sonchiriya crashes

Last Friday's (1 March) film releases have had a contrasting fate at the box office. While Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon’s Luka Chuppi is on its way to becoming a hit, Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer Sonchiriya failed to take off.

Directed by Laxman Utekar, the romantic family comedy picked up an impressive Rs4.75 crore nett on its first Tuesday. The film has so far made Rs43.75 crore nett in its India business.

Produced by Maddock Films, Luka Chuppi was released in 2,100 screens in India and 400 screen overseas. The film is made at an estimated budget of Rs25 crore.

Luka Chuppi review: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon hold their own in a fairly entertaining comedy

Luka Chuppi is likely to comfortably cross Rs50 crore. After Heropanti (2014), Luka Chuppi will be the second Sanon film to cross Rs50 crore nett. Sanon was part of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Dilwale (2015) which made Rs139.97 crore nett, but it was made at a budget of Rs165 crore. Sanon was part of the supporting cast of the Rohit Shetty film.

Aaryan will enjoy his second successive hit after last year's surprise blockbuster Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety which went on to make Rs100 crore nett in its India business.

Trade analyst Vinod Mirani says, “Luka Chuppi is another film that proves that the audience wants to be entertained. The film had a good opening weekend where it earned around Rs35 crore nett and it continues to do well.  Before its release, it must have recovered its cost through satellite and digital rights alone. It’s in profit from day one of its release.”

Luka Chuppi is flying, but there is no such luck for RSVP’s Sonchiriya that has fared poorly. The film only made Rs45 lakh nett on its first Tuesday and it has so far made only Rs4.75 crore nett.

Sonchiriya review: Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar's gripping but deadly tale

Made at an estimated budget of Rs30 crore, Sonchiriya was released on 700 screens in India.

"What is Sonchiriya? If the audience needs to be explained the title, then how will they take the tension to watch such a film? They struggled to get adequate screens. Such tales don’t appeal now. May be such films are more suited for platforms like Netflix," said Mirani.