Even as Shah Rukh Khan starrer Happy New Year (HNY) is setting new records, Aamir Khan’s PK is lurking around the corner. The biggest question on everyone’s mind is whether Aamir will smash Shah Rukh’s box office records again this year. It happened last year when SRK broke an four-year-old record held by Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots with his Chennai Express. However, SRK could only hold that record for four months as Aamir’s Dhoom 3 smashed existing records and went on to become the biggest hit in box office history ever.
*Flashback
Shah Rukh Khan’s Eid-release Chennai Express opened to a thundering `33 crore on August 9, 2013, it was the top grossing movie that year. It held the spot for four months. Then Aamir Khan’s Dhoom 3 hit the marquee. It smashed all previous records and earned an astounding `36 crore when it released on December 20, 2013.
*December magic
The pre-Christmas-Christmas weekend has proved to be extremely lucky for Aamir. His directorial debut Taare Zameen Par released on December 21, 2007, while Ghajini was released on December 25, 2008. 3 Idiots, which hit the theatres on December 25, 2009, went to create box office history. In 2013, he returned with Dhoom 3 as the X’mas offering, which has proved to be good time for him at the BO.
*Trade talk
With first day collection becoming a big deal, it remains to be seen whether PK can overtake HNY’s collections. Vikas Mohan, editor of the trade magazine Super Cinema, says, “Without a doubt PK will get a bigger initial than HNY. While HNY released on the Diwali weekend, PK is releasing before Christmas so it will benefit from that holiday. Also, it’s the Rajkumar Hirani-Aamir combination, so people will are bound to want to watch the movie.” Trade pundits point out that though HNY began on a great note, the figures haven’t remained steady. And while that may be normal, the movie is likely to struggle to get into the coveted `300 crore club. Another trade analyst, who did not wish to be named, said, “PK will not break the first day collection record set by HNY, but I think the Aamir starrer will have more lifetime business than the SRK starrer.” The trade, the industry, and even the actors are waiting to see what will happen on the D-Day.
*The holiday factor
This year SRK’s HNY, a Diwali release, earned an astounding `37.5 crore (Hindi) on the first day. Some trade experts feel that Aamir might not be able to break the first day collections of HNY because it released on a national holiday, while Aamir’s PK releases on a non-festive weekend (December 19). However, PK will benefit from Christmas holiday, which will be a few days away. Then there’s the New Year weekend, which doesn’t have any major releases. This ensures the movie an uninterrupted run at the BO for two weeks. The next big release will be Arjun Kapoor-Sonakshi Sinha starrer Tevar, which releases on January 9, 2015.