Bodyguard grosses Rs20cr on day 1

The movie net Rs 20 crore on the first day of its release. His two other recent films, Dabanng and Ready, raked in the moolah.While Dabanng collected Rs 14 crore on the first day, Ready garnered Rs 12.5 crore. Till then, these Khan capers hit the silver screen, actor Aamir Khans 3 Idiots had been the highest first-day grosser with Rs 13 crore.The massive opening for Bodyguard, which also stars Khan along with Kareena Kapoor, could not have come at a better juncture for Salman Khan, who is battling ill-health. He is in the United States for two surgeries to tackle his neurological problems-trigeminal neuralgia and a form of brain aneurysm. The neuralgia results in painful spasms across the actors jaw.He is scheduled to undergo the procedures within a couple of days. Regarding Bodyguards opening, Fun Cinemas head of operations Vishal Anand, said, This has to be the highest-ever opening in Bollywood, beating Dabbang by nearly 15% or so. He feels Bodyguard should be able to net Rs 70 crore because of the present five-day weekend due to the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. It is on the verge of making a record in Bollywood, he said. Bodyguard could have gained from the fact that there was 30-day lull at the box office. However, the impending release of Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Mausam may change things.Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, Salman has become a phenomenon if one goes by the first day collection alone. He credits the first-day rush to the Salman phenomenon. He said, I feel after Salman has started doing charity he has found a special connect with the audience and they make his films work.