2011 has seen quite a few medium budgeted films throwing a surprise when it came to audience accepting them wholeheartedly. 'Tanu Weds Manu', 'Haunted', 'Pyaar Ka Punchnama' and 'Delhi Belly' are few such names that instantly come to mind. 'Murder 2' was expected to do well but then the common consensus was that it would do well mainly in the interiors of the country while multiplex crowd won't quite warm up to it. In fact last week even I was a tad apprehensive about the prospects of the film and had predicted close to 50% opening for the Emraan Hashmi starrer.

However the way 'Murder 2' ended up performing at the box office, it is now the biggest surprise of the year so far. The film opened to a fantastic 70% odd response, at places even higher, and by the time it was Sunday, 'Murder 2' was boasting of rollicking collections. With over 22 crores coming in just three days, the film has taken everyone by complete surprise and I am sure even Bhatt brothers would admit that the film surprassed even their expectations.

While the film did boast of brand equity of 'Murder' as well as Bhatt-Emraan-Mohit Suri combination, the 'buzz' was 'supposedly' not phenomenal. The songs weren't the kind of chartbusters that Emraan Hashmi generally carries with him while till a day before the release, the talks were still centered on last week's release 'Delhi Belly'. But what happened on Friday opened the debate all over again that one can never be so sure of how the entire nation would react when a film releases.

In fact the supersuccess of the film has also ended the debate that too many films can't run when released in quick succession. Of course two biggies on the same day is a no-no but if audience wants, one film a week is pretty much up for grabs, as has been the case with the likes of 'Ready', 'Double Dhamaal', 'Delhi Belly' and 'Murder 2', all of which have turned out to be very good money spinners in a span of few weeks.

The pace at which 'Murder 2' is going, it is all set to cross the 45 crores mark now. However with 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' and 'Singham' arriving in quick succession, it would be interesting to see if 'Murder 2' goes on to cross the 50 crores milestone as well.

'Chillar Party' didn't do too bad either and though the opening was weak at just 20%-25%, there was very good appreciation from all quarters. The film made huge leaps from Friday to Saturday and then Sunday, hence resulting in over 3 crores coming in. Now this is remarkable since the film doesn't boast of a single recognisable name and in fact falls under 'children's film' genre. While 'Chillar Party' will certainly cross 'Stanley Ka Dabba' now, it's fate is still hung in balance as there is decent moolah that has been spent on it's marketing and promotion. The film has a good shelf life but theatrically, it would have to hold on for 2-3 weeks at least to make any headaway.