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Just four days after it released, Rakesh Roshan's Krrish has been declared a box-office blockbuster; by Friday, the film's worldwide collections are likely to cross Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million).
"Krrish saw a bigger opening than (Aamir Khan starrer and recent blockbuster) Fanaa as from day one it had huge occupancy. The way it is going, it can break Fanaa's record," says Vinod Mirani, film trade analyst and editor of the trade magazine Box Office.
Fanaa has managed to garner Rs 90 crore (Rs 900 million) worldwide -- excluding Gujarat, where the film ran into trouble because of Aamir's comments on the Narmada Dam issue -- since its release on May 26.
On the first day, Aamir's film saw 85 per cent to 90 per cent collections; Krrish enjoyed packed theatres, a 100 per cent record.
Though the critics gave Krrish mixed reviews, the audiences flocked to the theatres to see India's first superhero Hrithik Roshan. And the children loved the stunts.
"The Indian audiences had never seen such stunts and action in our films. They could relate to the characters more easily because it was Hrithik Roshan who was playing the role of superman," says Komal Nahta, film trade analyst and editor of the trade weekly Film Information.
"There was novelty in the film. People also loved it because the film is rooted in emotion and they could relate to the character of Krrish," Nahta adds.
Taran Adarsh, another trade analyst, agrees: "The superhero concept was alien to our film industry. Therefore, Krrish sets itself apart from other films. The movie is a blockbuster and is going to be one of the biggest hits in our times."
The demand for the film was so huge that in some multiplexes tickets were not available despite 12 shows being run on a single day.
Curiosity -- this was Hrithik's first film in two years -- and the fact that Krrish is a sequel to the hit Koi Mil Gaya, were other factors that worked for the Roshan project.
"Over the weekend, we had full shows for Krrish. Now, the occupancy rate is 70 per cent. Already the late evening shows for next week have been booked." says Niranjan Prakash, general manager, sales and marketing, Fun Republic, a Mumbai multiplex.
Black marketers too, have flown piggyback on the Hrithik fever. Over the weekend, Krrish tickets were selling for as much as Rs 900 at some places -- four times the original cost.