The wait is finally over!
Truth be told, the last time that a major event film with huge pre-release hype on this scale was released was DABANNG 2 back in December of last year. Now comes...CHENNAI EXPRESS!
Shah Rukh Khan's career has come to a point where he is in a very shaky position. The last 5 years of his career have been damaged to due to controversies and his shaky box office position, especially due to Aamir Khan and Salman Khan who have gone way ahead of him at the box office.
Sure, SRK is still delivering 100 crore Hits, but it's definitely not in the league of Salman and Aamir who have gone far ahead around the 200 crore mark with All Time Blockbusters!
Can SRK regain his numero uno position? That is the question!
CHENNAI EXPRESS has HUGE hype for various reasons!:
-SRK's first time working with the "Hit machine" director Rohit Shetty, who has more 100 crore films in Bollywood than any other director
-SRK-Deepika being paired together after the 2007 Blockbuster OM SHANTI OM
-Together as a trio, SRK-Deepika-Rohit Shetty coming together for the first time
-SRK's first massy masala film since Blockbuster OM SHANTI OM. Yes, he did have RNBDJ after, which was liked by the masses as well, but in terms of being a pure massy masala film, then his last one was OM SHANTI OM.
First, the positives!
-The trailer of CHENNAI EXPRESS received a great response by the majority
-The film seems to have all sort of elements. The action would appeal greatly to masses, the comedy should work with the masses given the Rohit Shetty brand of entertainment, the romantic SRK-style portion should work well with his main fan base, the multiplex/class audience
-The South flavor of the film could work really well with the audience in South India
Now, the negatives!
-Although the South flavor would work well with South Indian audience, it may not appeal to the North India audience. As a matter of fact, there are chances that CHENNAI EXPRESS may be rejected by North Indian audience!
-The songs have received mixed response. Few of the songs have been liked, but none of them have really reached to that chartbuster level. I strongly feel that the title track of the film could've been a chartbuster, but the song hasn't really been promoted, which hasn't allowed it to be a chartbuster.
-Given the massy nature of the film, the class audience may find the film too over-the-top, especially the comic portions
All in all, CHENNAI EXPRESS may receive a mixed word of mouth at an All-India level amongst the audience. It will likely be liked by the masses, family audience, and kids, but it may be rejected by the North Indian audience and the higher-class multiplex audience.However, the holiday period, as well as support by those who will appreciate the film will be strong enough to get the film huge lifetime collections!
In terms of acting, I think that many will feel that Deepika Padukone stole the show. She will probably get the most praise for her acting. Of course though, SRK is SRK, and he will do well mainly in the more intense/action scenes and romantic scenes.
Now, about the opening of the film!
The opening of the film, without a doubt, will be earth-shattering! In terms of opening, it has the potential to break records, especially for opening weekend. The huge craze for the film will ensure that the film has a phenomenal opening at both single screens and multiplexes across the country.
My Box Office Predictions for CHENNAI EXPRESS:
Opening Day: 30+ crores net (has the potential to break opening day record of EK THA TIGER)
Opening Weekend: 75+ crores net
Lifetime Collections: 160+ crores net
Overall Box Office Verdict: Blockbuster
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