'Dangal' crosses Rs 100 crore in opening weekend

The festive season is truly celebratory for the "Dangal" team as the Aamir Khan starrer sports drama, which released two days ahead of Christmas, surpassed the Rs 100 crore mark on its opening weekend at the box office. According to its makers, the film also registered the "biggest single day collections ever in India" on Sunday.

"Dangal" has minted a total of Rs 106.95 crore and Rs 42.35 crore nett was made on Christmas Day itself," read a statement issued on behalf of Disney India, which has backed the Nitesh Tiwari directorial.

"The total weekend number stands at Rs 106.95 crore nett, including Rs 1.07 crore from its Tamil and Telugu versions. The film's gross box office collection stands at Rs 148.45 crore," the statement read.

The movie has tugged at the heart strings of the audiences for its powerful portrayal of the tale of Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former national champion who, much to the disapproval of his wife and his whole village, trained his daughters Geeta and Babita to wrestle.

According to film critics Taran Adarsh and Komal Nahta, the film is "setting new benchmarks" and the figure has been the "highest Sunday for any film".

Earlier, Adarsh pointed out how "Dangal" has brought respite for the industry at a time when the Indian government's demonetisation move affected the footfalls of movie buffs by a margin.

Besides "Dangal", most of Aamir's films in the past have been part of the Rs 100-crore club. These include "PK", "Dhoom: 3" and "3 Idiots", which too released around Christmas.