Finally, we have a Friday when there are not one but three releases. This Friday, cine buffs have been given a platter laden with movies that have been long talked about. OK Jaanu, Haramkhor, xXx: Return Of Xander Cage, released today and the expectations from these are really high. Topping the list of these three is Deepika Padukone’s xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, which is her Holywood debut. The movie has been in news in India mainly because of her presence. Also, the movie is released in India before the rest of the world, so it is expected that the movie will see a bumper opening.
Trade pundits are expecting that the movie will earn an overwhelming Rs 15 crore on its first day. This is definitely because of the enormous buzz the movie has created. As a matter of fact, we saw last year that Hollywood releases performed better than Bollywood at the ticket counters with movies like The Jungle Book, Fast and Furious 7 and Jurassic World, which gave Indian films a run for their money. xXx, featuring Vin Diesel in the lead role, is expected to follow the trend. The makers of the movie struck gold in India when they brought Deepika on board; now, the expected numbers looks easily attainable.
Along with Deepika’s Hollywood debut, two Bollywood releases: OK Jaanu—starring Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur—and Haramkhor—featuring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shweta Tripathi—will hit the theaters as well. While the former is a rom-com directed by Shaad Ali that chronicles the ups and downs of a modern day relationship, the latter traces an unlikely bond between a 15-year-old student and her married teacher.
Also read: Interview: OK Jaanu’s Shraddha on link-up with Farhan & Aditya on getting into aashiqui groove back
As far as Box Office is concerned, OK Jaanu might mint close to Rs 5 crore at the ticket counters today. Haramkhor is anticipated to earn Rs 1.5 to 2.0 crore at the Box Office. The expected collections are definitely poor given the fact that the last Bollywood release Dangal, ruled the Box Office for weeks. But then not every movie can be Dangal and not every star—Aamir Khan.