Dilwale Review/Box Office Thread 2 - Keep Calm,Watch Dilwale - Page 31

Dilwale, the biggest multi-starrer of the year, has finally released. And the verdict is unanimous - it has every element that defines success. Whether the biggest director-actor duo (Rohit Shetty-Shah Rukh Khan), biggest on-screen jodi (SRK-Kajol), most promising upcoming stars (Varun Dhawan-Kriti Sanon) and a great supporting cast, this film boasts it all. According to distributors, Dilwale will break many records despite the fact that it did not release on a holiday. They say the film will enjoy massive occupancy over the weekend. Here's what the trade predicts.

Rahul Haksar, August Entertainment, Mumbai

Dilwale is doing outstanding business in Mumbai. It's a full-on entertainer and commercial film, and audiences are loving it! Whether at multiplexes or single screens, SRK has a humungous fan following everywhere. On average, occupancy is around 75 per cent. We released the film in Mumbai in 600-odd screens.

Prashant Tiwari, Prateek Entertainment, Delhi-UP & East Punjab

Dilwale opened with great numbers in spite of the weather being very cold in Delhi, UP and East Punjab. This reflects the love cine-goers have for their favourite actor, Shah Rukh Khan. Morning shows saw 60 per cent occupancy, which went up to 85 per cent from the noon to the evening shows. The matinee shows will be house full as advance bookings has closed. Considering the fantastic business the film is doing, it could do a record day one.

Arun Mehra, Aum Moviez, West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand, Odisha

Dilwale opened with extraordinary numbers, especially in West Bengal. The morning shows were almost full and since afternoon, occupancy has been 90 per cent for every show so far. In WB, we released the film in 330 screens and looking at how the film is doing, it should do a business of around Rs 1.8 crore. The film will see a bumper weekend as WB has the maximum number of Shah Rukh Khan fans.

In Bihar, it's the big stars whose films work wonders and the Badshah of Bollywood has a huge fan following here. Dilwale released in 175 screens in Bihar and it should do business of around Rs 80 lakh.

In Orissa, we released the film in 120 screens and occupancy across today has been stable, at 70 per cent. Despite the weather being very cold, audiences are stepping out to watch their favourite star's film. Dilwale is full of entertainment, action and romance and the songs are a bonus. So far, it looks like the movie should fetch Rs 50 lakh in Orissa.

Manohar Wadhwani, Heera Laxmi Amusements, CP

The film started with 65-per cent occupancy. The second show shows a slight dip in numbers but occupancy picked up mid-afternoon, when it was 80 per cent. Despite all the obstacles, the film is doing great, feedback from the audience is positive and everyone is enjoying the film. We released it in around 205 screens and are running 1,000 shows daily. It is too early to say how much business it will do but I am sure we will see a record-breaking number.

Sanjay Bhattacharya, Kinesis Films, Rajasthan

As expected, Dilwale opened with great numbers. This is not a holiday period and we had two big films releasing together, yet Dilwale is doing fantastic business. It will eventually clock numbers equal to those of a holiday release. In Rajasthan, we released the film in 130 screens and every show is running with 85-per cent occupancy.

Abdul Mannan Faruk, Azzan Films, Assam

Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Shetty are back together after Chennai Express. Expectations were sky high and all SRK's fans turned up to the watch the film. The film is running at 80-per cent occupancy across all shows across Assam. We released the film in 83 screens and it's doing really well. The fact that there are no releases to compete with it till January will work in Dilwale's favour. Audiences are loving the film!

Tarun Tandon, Indra Films, Nizam & Andhra Pradesh

Dilwale is doing decent business in Nizam and the Andhra circuit. We released the film in 50 screens and since afternoon, occupancy has been 70 per cent. This film will do much better during its first week as today is a working day and the holiday season starts next week.

B H Basha, Bahar Enterprises, Mysore

The film is doing extraordinary business in Mysore, where fans of Rohit Shetty, Shah Rukh Khan and Varun Dhawan have come together to watch the film. Right from the first trailer to the songs, everything has worked in favour of Dilwale. In Mysore, it opened withat 55-per cent occupancy, which went up to 75 per cent from soon.