Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer "Dilwale" released in theatres with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone's "Bajirao Mastani" on Friday, and as expected the former has taken a lead at the box office.
"Dilwale" is the last big release of 2015 and thus the buzz around the film is massive. The film was expected to have a grand start at the box office and is living up to the expectations. "Dilwale" opened to packed houses worldwide.
"Dilwale" and "Bajirao Mastani" were released in the UAE-GCC market on Thursday, a day before India release and Shah Rukh's film emerged as a clear winner.
The romantic action entertainer opened to full houses at the UAE-GCC box office on Thursday and in India on Friday. The film opened with more than 70 percent occupancy on its opening day at the box office, while "Bajirao Mastani" opened to approximately 30 percent occupancy.
"#Dilwale has opened full houses in overseas n #BajiraoMastani has opened just 25-30% so it's big mistake of Eros to release it on same day," Kamaal R Khan tweeted.
In India also, the occupancy report of "Dilwale" and "Bajirao Mastani" is the same. As reported earlier, the advance booking counter for "Dilwale" opened on Sunday and within a few hours several shows went houseful, especially in the North circuit.
Shah Rukh's film is leading in East Punjab, Nizam, Andhra, Mysore, Gujarat, Mumbai, Pune and East India with huge margin, according to Box Office India. On the other hand, "Bajirao Mastani" has a good hold on screens in Maharashtra circuits.
"Dilwale" has taken a strong opening at the box office, but the collection will not be similar to Salman Khan's "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" as it was released in more than 18,000 screens compared to "Dilwale" 12,000 screens, Box Office India reports.
Directed by Rohit Shetty, "Dilwale" features Shah Rukh, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon in lead roles. "Bajirao Mastani", helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, features Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in lead roles.