Raees and Kaabil battle it out at box office this holiday weekend

Shah Rukh Khan starrer Raees and Hrithik Roshan starrer Kaabil are battling it out at the box office this weekend.

Trade analysts and multiplex players said Raees has begun its stint at the box office with an edge over Kaabil in terms of first day occupancies. It ended up grabbing a higher number of shows and screens, especially across single-screen cinemas.

The cumulative box office collections over the long holiday weekend is estimated at ₹150-160 crore.

Trade analyst Komal Nahata said: “ Raees has seen a very strong opening at the box office. Kaabil may have started slow because of the Raees opposition but it’s bound to pick up. Both the movies are expected to gain from the five-day holiday weekend.”

However, trade analysts also pointed out that the two movies have not managed to get an equal number of screens and shows, which is bound to impact box office collections.

As per estimates, the split in the number of shows for Raees versus Kaabil at the multiplexes is about 60: 40.

However, at the single screens, Raees, which also stars Pakistani actor Mahira Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is believed to have managed to get an even wider opening compared to Kaabil.

Some of the analysts observed that the difference in the number of shows may be higher only in certain markets.

PVR Cinemas CEO Gautam Dutta said: “This long Republic Day weekend is expected to be a big one at the box office, with the release of the two movies. On the first day, Raees seems to have got a slight lead over Kaabil. While occupancy on the first day for Raees was about 85 per cent, the number for Kaabil stood at about 65 per cent.”

He added that Kaabil, which also stars Yami Gautam, is also expected to pick up gradually.

Devang Sampat, Director - Strategic Initiatives, Cinepolis India, said that both the movies have got an equal number of shows at its cinemas, and are expected to attract good footfalls over the weekend.

While Raees narrates the story of a bootlegger, played by Khan, who is constantly challenged by a police officer, Kaabil features a love affair between a visually challenged couple.