'The Jungle Book' remains unaffected by SRK's 'Fan' at Indian box office

The 3D live-animation adventure fantasy film "The Jungle Book", which has been enthralling Indian audience for over one week now, has maintained it grip at the box office despite facing stiff competition from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's latest release "Fan".

The Jon Favreau directorial has minted Rs.82.65 crore in eight days since its release and collected Rs.8.02 crore on Friday, the day when Shah Rukh starrer "Fan" released on over 3500 screens.

"The Jungle Book", which made its way onto the screens in India on April 8, a week ahead of its release in the US, brings a story straight from the enchanting forest of India and presents a modern take on Rudyard Kipling's timeless classic, originally published in 1894.

Released in India in four different languages, "The Jungle Book" features Indian-American actor Neel Sethi as Mowgli.

Along with Neel, the film is supported by Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken.

Bollywood stars likes Irrfan Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Nana Patekar, Shefali Shah and Om Puri have lent their voice for the Hindi version of "The Jungle Book".

"'Fan' has received a good response in multiplexes. But what came as a surprise was 'The Jungle Book'. Being a family entertainer, the film will definitely cross Rs.100 crore in the coming days. Also the business for 'Fan' will improve over the weekend," Delhi-based film distributor Joginder Mahajan told IANS.

Directed by Maneesh Sharma, "Fan" collected Rs.19.20 crore on its opening day.

According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, "The Jungle Book" will enter the Rs.100 crore club in the second week itself.

"'The Jungle Book' maintains a strong grip. (Week two) Friday Rs.8.02 crore. Total: Rs.82.65 crore. India biz. Fantastic," Adarsh posted on Twitter on Saturday.

"Looking at the current trends, 'The Jungle Book' is expected to cross Rs.100 crore nett biz in its weekend two itself. India biz," he added.