NEW DELHI: Three Idiots is set to outwit the other big stars at the box office on Friday. Going by the movie’s performance at cinema halls, the producer and distributors expect to close Friday with Rs 20-crore gross revenue. In comparison, other hits like Love Aaj Kal and Kambakkht Ishq grossed Rs 9-10 crore on their first day.
Aamir Khan has been having blockbuster Christmas releases for three years now. The actor’s latest flick earned worldwide gross revenues of Rs 9 crore on Thursday, Rs 2 crore more than his 2008 hit, Ghajini.
Two large multiplex players said most of the shows have 90-95% bookings, with several of them running to full houses. Incidentally, the multiplexes increased prices by 10-15% for 3 Idiots, which usually is the norm for movies starring marque actors. “This could be one of the best openings of a movie this year in terms of theatrical revenues. Going by the advance booking numbers, we believe the movie will continue to get similar response for the next few days,” Delhi-based PVR Cinemas CEO Amitabh Vardhan said.
Mumbai-based multiplex Inox Leisure’s CEO Alok Tandon added that the advance bookings are between 85% and 90% for the weekend. While the movie has opened well, “it’s still too early to say whether it will be the biggest blockbuster of the year,” trade analyst Taran Adarsh said.
“In Australia, multiplexes have reduced shows of the movie, Avatar, and increased shows for 3 Idiots,” Vidhu Vinod Chopra, producer of the movie, said.
Produced by Vinod Chopra Productions, 3 Idiots was distributed in collaboration with Reliance Big Pictures. Made on an estimated budget of Rs 35 crore, 3 Idiots has been released with 1,894 prints, of which 1,550 went to the Indian market and 344 went overseas.
