It may be too early to say whether Yash Chopra's [Images] Dhoom:2 will be the year's biggest blockbuster. But from the way the advance ticket bookings are going, it will definitely give tough competition to the biggest hit so far, Krrish [Images].
Hrithik Roshan's [Images] Krrish made Rs 150 crores, and has done the best business this year. It is followed by Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti [Images] and Kunal Kohli's Fanaa [Images].
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh sounds hopeful for Dhoom:2. "It has the potential to be a blockbuster," he says. "There is a positive buzz and they will release 16 shows in many theatres to cater to the demand."
Rumours suggest that Dhoom:2 will release with 1,200 prints, the biggest ever opening for Hindi cinema. Only Don comes close with 1,000 prints.
Tushar Dhingra, Chief Operating Officer, Fame Adlabs [Get Quote], says, "We are getting a fabulous response for Dhoom:2. The bookings is unprecedented and there is a good opening in all the Adlabs theatres in India."
There are long queues outside theatres, as eager cinema goers hope to catch the film's first shows.
"When I went to buy a ticket at Thakur Cinema (in Kandivili, suburban Mumba) for Saturday, there was a long queue. I could not believe my eyes. The theatre has a 1,000 seating capacity but still there was a huge queue to see the film," says Rajiv Parekh, a college student. He adds, "I want to see the film because I think Hrithik is looking great in the promos. After Krrish, I cannot afford to miss this film in its first week."