Saif Ali Khan gets the biggest solo opening of his career, as Agent Vinod opens at R10 crore
Producer Saif Ali Khan and director Sriram Raghavan have already decided to continue the franchise with a sequel.In fact,Sriram,who is already zeroed in on a couple of ideas,will start working on one in the coming month after getting an amazing reponse at the box office.
Sriram says “We are working on an idea and will be making one more Agent Vinod film.The idea had always been to see Vinod in the midst of different adventures in different countries.Luckily for us,the film had an encouraging opening.Maybe in a month,I will start working on another film for the franchise.However,it’s too early to say anything.” Sriram has also learnt a few things from his recent release.”I have to take care of a couple of things in the future.For example,I have to make sure that the length of the film is two hours.” About the not so good reviews from critics,the filmmaker added,”I guess people expected a Johnny Gaddar.And it was completely opposite.It is a Bond kind of a movie with repeat value.It grows on you.The idea is to make different films and treat Agent Vinod as a franchise.”Actor Saif Ali Khan’s latest production Agent Vinod has surpassed his debut production Love Aaj Kal’s opening day record by R2 crore. Love Aaj Kal earned R8.25 crore, while Agent Vinod that was made at a budget of R50 crore gathered a whopping R10 crore by making it Saif’s highest opening day collection so far.
“Saif has grown as an actor and also grown as a box-office power. The first day business is an indicator of a film’s strength at the box office,“ said analyst Taran Adarsh.
Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the spy thriller also features actors Kareena Kapoor, Prem Chopra and Ram Kapoor. Saif says it was the best time to release a film like Agent Vinod. “The concept should appeal to people as it’s got an exciting plot. The Tin Tin-like qualities is the USP of Agent Vinod,“ said Saif.
The theatre owners are happy with the first day response to the film and hope that it will sustain in the coming weeks. “The response to the film has been good. We have witnessed an occupancy of about 85%. The action and stunts of the film are quite appealing to the youngsters,“ Gautam Datta, of PVR.
HTC AND IANS OPENING DAY FIGURES OF SAIF’S LAST RELEASES Love Aaj Kal Kurban Aarakshan R8.25 crore R4.5 crore R5 crore TOP 10 FIRST DAY OPENERS Agneepath R21 crores Bodyguard R20.62 crores Ra.One R14.63 crores Dabangg R14.45 crores Ready R13.33 crores 3 Idiots R13.00 crores Tees Maar Khan R12.82 crores Raajneeti R10.33 crores Housefull R9.32 crores Ghajini R9.13 crores Figures courtesy Box Office India
For Saif, however, Agent Vinod has provided the biggest opening weekend he has had to date. Says Dinesh Vijayn of Illuminati Films, producers of Agent Vinod, “The film has got Saif the biggest opening so far. His last big opening was Love Aaj Kal (2009), which opened at R27 crores.“
Vijayn has a slightly different take on the film’s numbers so far. He says, “The film made R9.8 crores on the first day, R10.2 crores on the second day and R10 crores on the third day day. Agent Vinod was made at a cost of R50 crores and we spent R12 crores on promotions. So the total cost is R62 crores. The music of the film has been sold at R9 crores and satellite rights for seven years for R21 crores.“
