Box Office Estimate Day 1: Bhooth Bangla headed for a Rs. 17 cr. start; Akshay Kumar starrer hits Rs. 14 cr. on Friday

Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan are back together in the movie Bhooth Bangla, and it's attracting a lot of people to the theaters. The film made Rs. 3.50 crore from paid previews on Thursday night. On Friday, it's expected to make between Rs. 13.50 crores and Rs. 14.50 crores, bringing the total opening day earnings close to Rs. 17 crores.

The film has done better than expected.

 Before it came out, people thought it would make around Rs. 15 crores, including the paid previews. The early reviews are mixed, but it's still doing well for this type of movie. The goal is to make about Rs. 60 crores in the opening weekend, and then aim for the Rs. 100 crore mark in India.

The movie is also doing well at smaller theaters, not just the big chains.

 On the first day, it made around Rs. 7 crores at the national chains, which is about half of the total business.

There are good signs for the upcoming days too.

 Families are planning to watch it with Akshay and Priyadarshan during the holidays. This strong start sets up the movie for a good run, and it's already on track for the weekend, which is a common trend starting from Monday.