Currently, the hottest topic among the cinephiles, trade experts, exhibitors and distributors is the big clash of Shah Rukh Khan's 'Dunki' and Prabhas' 'Salaar: Part 1-The Ceasefire'. After the unprecedented success of both his films, 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan', Shah Rukh is gearing up for his third release of the year. 'Dunki' also marks SRK and astute filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani's first collaboration. Talking about 'Salaar', it is also one of the most anticipated movies of the year. After postponing the release date several times, the makers are releasing the actioner on December 22. 'Dunki' which is a family entertainer will hit the screens on December 21.
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Will 'Dunki' perform better than 'Salaar'? What would be the first-day box collections of both? There are so many questions we have. Let's find out what the trade experts have to say on the mega clash.
Sameer Dixit, one of the distributors from Mumbai said that 'Dunki' will have better traction than 'Salaar'. He said that the former has the potential to outperform the latter in terms of collections. Sameer said, 'One thing is very clear, Dunki is one step ahead of Salaar. There are a couple of reasons. If you talk practically, the Bollywood industry works from the last hit. Jawan did an excellent business at the box office. So, the theatres are very much excited about Dunki because there is Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani. Both have a huge fan following and have given non-stop hits. Undoubtedly, there is an edge of Dunki above Salaar. Secondly, the trailer and teaser of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer have been received well, especially in our trade circuit, they liked it and are keen to go for Dunki.''
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The problem with Salaar is that Prabhas has not given any major hits with his last movies. If you see, except Baahubali, he doesn't have much acceptance in the North. No doubt, he has a huge fan following in the South and I feel it might work in that region,'' he added.
Who will get how many screens? Dixit said that there is no comparison between Prabhas and Shah Rukh Khan. He also shared that if there are 10 theatres in a city, 6 will go to Dunki and hardly four will go to Salaar.
''They will have a difficulty to have more screens. I also feel that they might postpone the date again. There is a system that a big film pre-block the theatres. In that case, there is no chance for Salaar to get certain theatres in pockets. So, they will be facing a big problem as far as exhibiting or showcasing is concerned,'' said Dixit.
When asked about the opening day collections of the movies, he added, ''Salaar has no buzz in the market and we distributors talk about Dunki. It will open to Rs 60-70 crore or maybe more. Even, it can have a great opening of Rs 100 crore on the first day. No doubt, Dunki is the real winner''.
We also spoke to film exhibitor, Akshaye Rathi who talking about the clash said, ''These are two big superstars of India directed by two hugely successful directors. The good thing is that these are two films that cater to very different audiences and belong to very different genres. Even though they are coming together, I think beyond a point it wouldn't be a very bad scenario because both cater to different audiences' mindsets''.
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Dunki is said to have more buzz in the North belt while Salaar has in the South. On this, Rathi said, ''Prabhas has been a pan-India star since Baahubali and he has a serious appeal across the length and breadth of the country. Again, over decades of being a star he is, even Shah Rukh Khan also has a great fan following across the nation. So, I don't think that's the case anymore where you have this North and South divide being serious anymore. I think that both of these actors will be able to do really well.''
He also spoke about the screens both films are competing for. ''The number of shows or screens that any movie gets depends largely on the law of demand and supply. I truly believe that any movie that has in some sense the right kind of buzz and the right kind of traction with the audience always does well. Both Salaar and Dunki have that serious buzz and an audience of their own,'' added Akshaye.
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He further said, ''I am really not worried and open for the reports and merits. As long as that falls in place, things will be good''.
Will 'Dunki' earn Rs 60-70 crore on Day 1? To which he said, ''I really can't predict whether it will be able to hit Rs 60-70 crore. The films that open to very respectable numbers grow from stage to stage due to solid word of mouth. So, I don't know the opening numbers of 'Dunki'. It could be huge as there is Shah Rukh Khan. Having said that, if it doesn't do well, no need to lose hope because Rajkumar Hirani's film are 'lambi race ka ghodas'. Salaar might be a massive opener but Dunki would be the marathon runner''.
