Ghajini, No 8 B'wood hit of all times

The last release of 2008 Ghajini has offered some solace to the recession-ridden industry. With a historic opening and a steady run, the film is now the eighth biggest hit of all times. What's more, the feat has been achieved in barely 12 days.

Ghajini has collected in seven days what Welcome made during its ENTIRE run at the box office. And in ten days, the film made as much money as Singh is Kinng.

The only films that are ahead of it in the list of Bollywood hits of all times are Gadar, HAHK, DDLJ, Dhoom 2, Krrish, OSO and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (with a marginal lead).

Box office collections

Distributors in the Mumbai circuit collected whopping Rs 13 crore for Ghajini and Rs 8 crore for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

In centres like Orissa where a business of Rs 5-6 lakhs makes any movie a super hit in the circuit, Ghajini managed to gross Rs 25 lakhs in the first week itself.

The total gross collections as of now for Ghajini stands at Rs 140 crore.

Most multiplex chains that registered between 90-100 per cent collections in the extended first weekend showed just a slight drop for the second weekend, having collections between 75-85 per cent.

Aamir's biggest overseas hit

Lagaan, Rang De Basanti or Fanaa never created such euphoria in the overseas market as Ghajini.

The film has managed gross a total of $ 6.5 million as of Sunday evening breaking records everywhere.

In North America it grossed $ 1.9 million, in the UK $ 0.7 million, and in the Middle East it made $ 1.5 million in the first week itself.

Trade talk

Veteran trade analyst, Amar Solanki says, "The kind of reputation Aamir has managed to generate, his fans are coming to watch it expecting a good product. But it is nowhere like his RDB, Lagaan or TZP. It is purely a commercial entertainer. So one can definitely term it as his goodwill hit. The critics have been slamming the film but it's still a super hit."

Amod Mehra says, "The film has brought smiles on a lot of faces in the trade and that's what is more important. Ghajini proves that even today a perfectly made commercial film has many takers. The only glitch is its length. The makers can definitely alter some portions and make it a much better watch."

Manoj Desai of G-7, Mumbai tells us, "The response has been good since the first day but the reactions to the film have been mixed. A general feeling is that the film won't have a repeat audience."