Of late, Ajay Devgn's Son Of Sardar has been in news for all the wrong reasons. Negative publicity for the much-criticised clash with Yash Chopra's last film and the legal battle, which Devgn eventually lost.
The clash with Jab Tak Hai Jaan has also resulted in a smaller release for the film, as Son Of Sardar releases on 1600 screens. In comparison, Bol Bachchan released on 2300 screens in India.
As far as the hype is concerned, there is no comparison really. Come Diwali, it's going to be a classic case of 'David vs Goliath'.
Below is a quick comparison between the two Diwali releases
Starcast: Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma (two massively popular stars) vs Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Sanjay Dutt (big stars, but not quite in the same league fan-following wise)
Director: Yash Chopra vs Ashwani Dhir. A legend against someone who has just directed two small budget films (One Two Three, Athiti Thum Kab Jaoge).
Clearly, Jab Tak Hai Jaan will be the first choice this weekend. But, there are several factors in Son Of Sardar's favour too. One is the proven script. Since the film is a South remake, SOS is likely to be a safe film at the box-office. Two, the runtime is shorter (2:20 hours), due to which multiplexes can squeeze-in more shows. Also, the music and the promos have worked big time with the masses.
So, coming to the box office predictions, we expect the opening day collections to be around 7-8 crores (Diwali pooja, limited screen count). After which, a lot would depend on the content. If the response is similar to Rowdy Rathore (a universally liked film), then SOS could well cross the 100 crore mark.
Below is the detailed HIT or FLOP Box Office Prediction for Son Of Sardar
IF VERY GOOD (positive word-of-mouth)
- Weekend (3 day) – 21 crores
- Extended Weekend (Tue-Sun) – 45 crores
- Weekdays (Mon-Thu) – 15 crores
- Week 1 (10 days) – 60 crores
- Final – 100 crores+
IF AVERAGE (mixed response)
- Weekend (3 day) – 18 crores
- Extended Weekend (Tue-Sun) – 37 crores
- Weekdays (Mon-Thu) – 12 crores
- Week 1 (10 days) – 49 crores
- Final – 80 crores
IF BAD (worst case scenario)
- Weekend (3 day) – 16 crores
- Extended Weekend (Tue-Sun) – 28 crores
- Weekdays (Mon-Thu) – 8 crores
- Week 1 (10 days) – 36 crores
- Final – 50 crores
If Jab Tak Hai Jaan turns out to be disappointment, Son Of Sardar will benefit big time and vice versa. If both films are good, both will do well as they have 17 open days, before Talaash hits screens on November 30th.
Initially though, the release of a biggie like JTHJ will make a huge dent into the opening weekend collections of SOS. But the fact that Ajay Devgn has stuck to his guns, despite immense pressure to postpone his film, is a sign that the makers are confident of their product.
What are your box office predictions for Son Of Sardar? Will the film be a HIT or FLOP? How much of an impact will the release of Jab Tak Hai Jaan have on the film? Tell us in the comments section below.
Interesting fact: Way back in November 1991, Yash Chopra was all set to release his ambitious film Lamhe during Diwali. The film was carrying fantastic pre-release reports and Anil Kapoor and Sridevi were big star back then. The film was set for a clash with a small time film 'Phool Aur Kaante' starring a newcomer. Guess who? Ajay Devgn! Lamhe sank, Phool Aur Kaante was a huge hit.
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