WILL SUPERMAN, MAALIK AND AANKHON KI GUSTAAKHIYAN CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM AT THE BOX OFFICE?

The last three weeks have been great for the film industry. It all started with Sitaare Zameen Par working at the box office. The following week, F1: The Movie emerged as a surprise hit. Maa underperformed but did pull in a significant audience. Last week's Jurassic World: Rebirth, as expected, scored a sixer. Metro...In Dino had a slow opening but the way it has held on weekdays has been a pleasant surprise.

This week, three major films are up for release, with Superman being the biggest of them. It's not as big a series in India but nevertheless, the character is popular and known among the Indian population. Also, the Western reviews have been very positive. The bookings in India have been encouraging. It'll open less than Jurassic World: Rebirth and more than F1: The Movie. In other words, an opening of Rs. 7-8 crores is expected. If the word of mouth is strong, it can have a weekend of Rs. 25 crores.

Maalik stars Rajkummar Rao in a never-before-seen action avatar. His look has been appreciated but the film has not been able to generate excitement. However, since it's in the massy zone, it'll get a lot of theatres in B and C centres. The makers have provided a discount of Rs. 100 and that should attract more people than expected. It should open at Rs. 2.50-3 crores.

Lastly, Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan stars Vikrant Massey and marks the debut of Shanaya Kapoor. The film looks like a clean love story and rests on an interesting idea. However, though the awareness is there, the buzz is very limited. It is also facing show-sharing issues since there are so many exciting releases around. Even Maalik has gone through this issue.

Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan will open at around Rs. 1-2 crores and will have to have a great word of mouth to jump big time.