Will Ranveer Singh's Simmba put Shah Rukh Khan's Zero on the back burner?

There's no doubt that Shah Rukh Khan's latest release Zero has underperformed at the domestic box office and has done an average business in the first 5 days of its release. And it looks like Zero's run at the box office will come to an unprecedented halt as soon as Ranveer Singh's Simmba will hit theatres this Friday on December 28.

Distributors and exhibitors had high hopes of churning out profits from Zero but unfortunately the Aanand L Rai directorial failed to make a mark at the box office after it got rejected by the audience.

While the first half of Zero managed to entertain the viewers to some extent, the second half made people cry a river because to its shoddy screenplay, problematic sub-plots and lack of audience connect. The only saving grace for this Zero were the performances by its lead and supporting actors.

Though the Christmas festivities helped it with a slight boost to the film's collections, but it wasn't enough to take it a notch higher in terms of its business. The movie, which also stars Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif in lead roles, managed to earn Rs 81.32 crore in 5 days of its release.

Considering the screen counts, Zero was expected to reach Rs 100 crore mark in its opening weekend but its first three days collection stood at Rs 59.07 crore.

As occupancy in theatres is also witnessing a fall with each passing day, cinema hall owners may come to a decision to reduce the daily number of shows of Zero and allot it to Simmba to conclude the year of 2018 on a good note. The fall in tickets pricing for Simmba will further boost its overall occupancy in theatres. 

Simmba, which stars Ranveer Singh, debutante Sara Ali Khan and Sonu Sood, has been receiving positive response from the moviegoers so far ever since the trailer was released online. The remake of Aankh Marey song has also become quite popular among the audience. The curiosity around Ajay Devgn's cameo as Bajirao Singham has also reached a new level further adding fuel to its immense buzz.

The movie is expected to have an excellent start at the box office considering Rohit Shetty and Ranveer Singh's track record of mass entertainer movies. It has also received positive response from celebrities at the special screening which took place last night in Mumbai.

If Simmba manages to strike the right chord with the audience, it may put Shah Rukh Khan's Zero on the back burner and force it to make space for the Ranveer Singh starrer to perform more effectively at the box office.