Shah Rukh Khan beats Aamir Khan

In most other cities, the multiplexes ran to 100% capacity, while the single screens opened to a 70% showing. The film has also reportedly opened to serpentine queues in the overseas market. Trade analysts are still counting the figures for the weekend and will pass their verdict shortly on whether the film comes close to the '3 Idiots' juggernaut. Nevertheless, the industry is already upbeat.

Add to this, a fair run by Abhisek Chaubey's 'Ishqiya', with a two week gross of Rs 21 crore and it doesn't seem to be too dull a start for 2010. The success of 'Ishqiya' is specially heartening, since the film does not fall into the traditional slot of mainstream masala and breaks the stereotype completely. Surely, this augurs for better — and content-wise richer — times for the industry.

Sadly, Chandan Arora's 'Striker' didn't manage to create ripples, despite the fact that it is an unusual and immensely watchable film, with a sterling act by the ensemble cast comprising Siddharth, Ankur Vikal, Seema Biswas, Vidya Malwade and Aditya Pancholi.

According to a trade portal, the film has a first week net of Rs 1.25 crore. Truly, figures rarely reflect the quality of a film. Ram Gopal Varma's 'Rann' too hasn't had a fair run, despite its thriller pace, its topicality and Amitabh Bachchan's gritty act as a media baron. The film has made Rs 7.5 crores in two weeks.
The other disappointment of the year has been 'Veer'. Salman Khan's testosterone act as the Indian brave heart didn't actually create an impact at the BO and managed to reap in a total gross of 36 crores.

Now that isn't a rich haul for a Salman Khan movie, considering his Wanted managed to make the moolah roll, only few months ago. All eyes are now focused on Bachchan's third offering in a short span of two months: Leena Yadav's 'Teen Patti' which boasts of Ben Kinglsey too, the Deepika Padukone-Farhan Akhtar romance in 'Karthik Calling Karthik' and 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge', the Ajay Devgan-Paresh Rawal comedy which promises to bring back the flavour of Hrishikesh Mukherjee back to contemporary cinema.