Looks like 2019 is going to be the year when most Bollywood films will taste box office success. After films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Gully Boy, and Badla, its Akshay Kumar's Kesari that has now stormed the box office and how! Directed by Anurag Singh, the period war drama released yesterday on the eve of Holi after garnering mixed reviews from the critics. While Akki starrer had raised the expectations with its dumdaar trailer, the film also didn't fail to deliver at the ticket windows on its first day. In fact, Kesari performed so well that has become the biggest opener of 2019 beating Ranveer Singh's Gully Boy. Kesari Movie Review: Akshay Kumar’s Tribute to Battle of Saragarhi Is a Wasted Opportunity That Works Only in Parts.

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to the microblogging site Twitter just a few minutes back and announced the opening day figures. He wrote, "#Kesari roars... Sets the BO on... Emerges the biggest opener of 2019 [so far]... After limited shows in morning/noon [#Holi festivities], the biz witnessed massive growth from 3 pm/4 pm onwards... Evening shows saw terrific occupancy... Thu ₹ 21.50 cr. India biz."

He also tweeted, "Top *Opening Day* biz - 2019...1. #Kesari ₹ 21.50 cr [Thu]

2. #GullyBoy ₹ 19.40 cr [Thu], 3. #TotalDhamaal ₹ 16.50 cr, 4. #CaptainMarvel ₹ 13.01 cr, Note: ₹ 10 cr+ openers. India biz. #Kesari is Akshay Kumar’s second biggest opener, after #Gold [₹ 25.25 cr; #IndependenceDay]."

Further, trade portal Boxofficeindia.com reported, "The film opened in the afternoon at many places as it was Holi and did huge occupancy as it worked like a national holiday. But then it was the opposite at some places which were affected by Holi especially the mass centres. The best collections for the film have come in from Gujarat / Saurashtra which has recorded the best collections in the last fifteen months after Sanju. The business in this belt is actually better than East Punjab." Kesari Trailer: Akshay Kumar Will Rule the Box Office Charts in 2019 With This Mind-Blowing Film, Say Twitterati.

With such a solid start at the BO, it's very much likely that Kesari will its extended first weekend with a really impressive figure. Also, with hardly any competition, Akshay's film will have a smooth ride at the ticket windows at least till Notebook arrives in theatres next week.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 22, 2019 12:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).