The late Puneeth Rajkumar's swansong James, which hit the screens on March 17, opened to a thunderous response at the domestic box office and collected nearly Rs 38 (net) in three days. It continued its dream run on its first Sunday, remaining the first choice of movie buffs in Karnataka.
The film collected nearly Rs 11 crore at the box office on its first Sunday, according to early estimates. If this is indeed the case, James will end its (extended) weekend with a total collection of nearly Rs 50 crore.
James garnered a fair deal of attention when it went on floors in 2020 as it marked Appu's first collaboration with Chethan Kumar, the director of popular films such as Bharjari and Bahaddur. It was, however, Puneethy's untimely death last year that transformed it into an emotion for fans. The film had a record 920 shows in Bengaluru alone, which helped it create history on day 1. The flick grossed nearly Rs 27 crore on Thursday in Karnataka, beating KGF to emerge as the industry's biggest opener. James received rave reviews with critics describing it as a celebration of the brand 'Appu'.
Netizens lauded Shivarajkumar, who dubbed for the film after Puneeth's death, for his contribution to the biggie. The word of mouth is positive, which should help the movie put up good numbers on weekdays. It will, however, face stiff competition from the pan-India movie Rise Roar Revolt (RRR) when it hits the screens on March 25.
James, produced by Kishore Pathikonda, is an actioner that revolves around what happens when the protagonist locks horns with a dangerous foe. It stars Priya Anand as the leading lady and marks her second collaboration with the mass hero, The two had previously teamed up for Raajakumara, which emerged as a sensational blockbuster in 2017. James has an impressive supporting cast that includes Sarathkumar, Srikanth and Mukesh Rishi Shivanna and Raghavendra Rajkumar have cameos in the movie
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