Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor's new release Saaho (Hindi version) debuted at the box office with "fantastic numbers", said trade analyst Taran Adarsh. The Hindi version of Saaho has raked as the one with third highest opening day collection of 2019 films so far - Saaho wrapped Day 1 with as much as Rs 24.40 crore. Mr Adarsh assigns credit for Saaho's impressive numbers to three key points - Prabhas' huge fan base, the much hyped wait for the film and early bookings. However, the weekend days will prove to be "crucial" for Saaho for "solid" first weekend numbers. Saaho, which also released in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam, marks Prabhas' first Hindi film.
"Saaho has a superb Day 1... Prabhas' superstardom post Baahubali 2 + hype surrounding the biggie + excellent advance bookings ensured fantastic numbers... Day 2 and 3 biz crucial to pack a solid weekend total... Fri Rs 24.40 cr Nett BOC. India biz. Hindi version," tweeted Mr Adarsh.
Take a look at his box office report card for Saaho.
#Saaho has a superb Day 1... Prabhas' superstardom post #Baahubali2 + hype surrounding the biggie + excellent advance bookings ensured fantastic numbers... Day 2 and 3 biz crucial to pack a solid weekend total... Fri Rs 24.40 cr Nett BOC. India biz. #Hindi version.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) August 31, 2019
Meanwhile, Saaho ranks third on list of 2019's highest opening films after Salman Khan's Bharat (with Rs 42 crore) and Akshay Kumar's Mission Mangal (with Rs 29 crore):
Top 5 *Day 1* biz... 2019 releases...
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) August 31, 2019
1. #Bharat Rs 42.30 cr [Wed]
2. #MissionMangal Rs 29.16 cr [Thu]
3. #Saaho [#Hindi] Rs 24.40 cr [Fri]
4. #Kalank Rs 21.60 cr [Wed]
5. #Kesari Rs 21.06 cr [Thu]
Nett BOC. India biz. #Hindi films only.
The high-budget action-thriller is reportedly made on a budget of Rs 350 crore. Action director Kenny Bates of Transformers and Italian Job fame choreographed the action sequences with technicians from Game Of Thrones contributing to the project.
Written and directed by Sujeeth, Saaho opened to middling reviews on Friday. Saaho is Prabhas' first film after the massively successful Baahubali series. Prabhas co-stars with Shraddha Kapoor in the movie.
