The Talaash (search) continued even after movie buffs came out of the theatre. Expectations riding the Aamir Khan film fell flat, as many had hoped for a bit more of action on the lines of Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger.

If the movie was a disappointment for the fans in the capital, the thriller let down a few cinema owners as well. The film raked in just around Rs 6 lakh at the box office in the capital, a modest first-day figure for an Aamir film.

“We did not get a good opening despite running 13 shows. Normally, an Aamir Khan film rakes in the moolah but this time it’s not the same. We had expected an Ek Tha Tiger-kind of opening for Talaash,” said Abhishek Ranjan, the manager of Cinepolis.

He added: “The release date is not suitable for movie lovers. It is the last day of the month and people do not have the luxury to splurge. The pocket pinch is one of the reasons for a poor footfall. The other reason is that Talaash does not have action scenes like Wanted and Ek Tha Tiger.”

“At Cinepolis on Friday, the collection was Rs 3.5 lakh for Talaash. However, I am sure in the next two days, we will do good business as people would receive their salaries,” added Ranjan.

However, according to statistics, the end-of-month pocket pinch could not deter ‘Tiger’ Khan’s Bodyguard (August 30, 2011) to set the box office on fire on the opening day.

Tickets at Cinepolis were priced between Rs 190 and Rs 220. At Mona, all shows were booked. “Our all four shows are running houseful,” said Sharad Gupta, the manager of Mona cinema. According to sources, if all shows at Mona are running houseful, the total first-day collection will stand at Rs 2,82,880 — which comes to a total of Rs 6,32,880 in the capital. A ticket at Mona is priced at Rs 160.

Talaash was not released at the 656-seater Regent cinema. Suman Kumar Sinha, the owner of Regent, said: “We continued with Son of Sardaar. I did not release the film in my cinema because of the KFC opening on Thursday. The place would have been overcrowded if I had released the film. It would have been impossible for me to control the KFC and Talaash crowd. ”

“Director Reema Kagti has done a good job. However, it was not like a Salman Khan film where you leave your brain at home. Talaash is for a mature audience, who love thrillers,” said Rishi Raj, a resident of Buddha Colony, who had come to Mona to catch the film.