'Housefull 2' is second biggest opener of 2012

With an opening weekend collection of Rs 43 crores, Sajid Khan's multi-starrer has opened big even in the IPL season.Call it Sajid Khan's confidence or arrogance, but his claims that his film Housefull 2 will be a blockbuster hit turned out to be true, like all his past claims. Despite releasing his film at the onset of IPL, Housefull 2 started on a very strong note and ensured houseful boards outside many cinema-halls. The film earned Rs 43 crores over its opening weekend. With this figure, Housefull 2 is the second biggest opening of the year after Agneepath. The multi-starrer managed to draw in audiences in vast numbers thereby assuring good business. What added to its advantage is that there was no other opposition to it at the box-office.In that respect the film should have another decent week at the box office what with the competition being quite weak in comparison. The coming Friday sees the release of a low-budget Hindi-Marathi bilingual Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein (Kashala Udyachi Baat in Marathi) starring Anupam Kher and Sachin Khedekar in lead roles. The second release is Kumar Mangat's Bittoo Boss where he is trying to re-launch his daughter Amita Pathak after her past few failed attempts. The film introduces Pulkit Samrat as the male lead who starred in TV soaps some years back.Top Hindi Films this WeekFilm: Housefull 2Position: 1Director: Sajid KhanCast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, John Abraham, Mithun ChakravarthyUpside: Akshay Kumar and Ritiesh Deshmukh's impeccable comic timing, entertaining second half, good music, some good funny momentsDownside: John Abraham's bad comic timing, some silly and slapstick jokes, no plot in first halfRunning Week: 1Trade Comments: The film opened to fabulous response collecting Rs 43 crores in its opening weekend, qualifying to be the second biggest opening of the year after Agneepath. While there was no other opposition for the film at the box-office, even IPL did not deter the prospects of Housefull 2 much. Film: KahaaniPosition: 2Director: Sujoy GhoshCast: Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Nawazuddin SiddiquiUpside: Good story, smart suspense, fascinating performances, brilliant climax, technically proficient Downside: Practically nothingRunning Week: 5Box-Office Verdict: Super HitFilm: Blood MoneyPosition: 3Director: Vishal S MahadkarCast: Kunal Khemu, Amrita Puri, Manish ChaudharyUpside: Good musicDownside: Outdated plot, no insight on diamond trade backdrop, predictable to the core, uninspiring performancesRunning Week: 2Trade Comments: Fizzled down in its second week.Film: Agent VinodPosition: 4Director: Sriram RaghavanCast: Saif Ali Khan, Kareena KapoorUpside: Decent performances, good music, entertaining only in partsDownside: Manipulative and convoluted screenplay, too larger than life, no suspense element, lame climaxRunning Week: 3Box-Office Verdict: FlopFilm: Paan Singh TomarPosition: 5Director: Tigmanshu DhuliaCast: Irrfan Khan, Mahie GillUpside: Irrfan Khan brilliant performance and an interesting premiseDownside: Falls slack towards the endRunning Week: 6Box-Office Verdict: Hit