New Delhi: Ek Villain Returns, directed by Mohit Suri, had a respectable opening weekend trend. The romantic suspense film starring John Abraham, Arjun Kapoor, Disha Patani, and Tara Sutaria brought in Rs 8.35 crore on Sunday, bringing the opening weekend total to Rs 22 crore.

On Sunday, the national multiplex chains increased by 16% while the mass belts had a 30% increase. In fact, a circuit like CI demonstrated a rise in collections of about 80% as they increased from 28 lakh on Friday to 50 lakh on Sunday. Due to the unfavourable reviews from the critics, there was a chance that Ek Villain Returns would do poorly over the weekend. However, there was some desire from the audience to see the movie, which led to respectable attendance over the weekend. The weekend may have increased by another 10 to 15 percent if the soundtrack had been released as soon as Mohit Suri’s last film, Malang.

Ek Villain Returns has received a chance from the audience, and the trend starting on Monday will reflect that. A Monday upside of Rs 3.25 crore will put the movie in a position to continue doing well through the openings of Laal Singh Chaddha and Raksha Bandhan, but a day below that mark will indicate a challenging road ahead. In these trying times, it may also be said that Ek Villain Returns’ weekend box office is more than the lifetime earnings of many movies with far bigger names.

Of course, the movie still has a long way to go before it becomes a success, but considering the year’s worth of feature films, any little victory is worth celebrating since it is a step toward a better future. Since the public hasn’t abandoned Hindi films, but is instead selective about what they want to see on the big screen, Ek Villain Returns’ performance in the opening weekend has also provided the industry a break. Now, all eyes are on the important exam on Monday.