MUMBAI: 'Dabangg' may not be a great piece of art but the film is set to become one of the biggest blockbusters of Bollywood. The film that opened on Friday at the box office has already beaten the first day collection of Aamir Khan-starrer '3 Idiots'.
It has grossed Rs 14.5 cr on the first day surpassing '3 Idiots' which collected Rs 13 crore on Christmas last year. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, "'Dabangg' is one film that everyone wants to watch because of the hype that Salman created before release. It has generated tremendous curiosity among the audiences. The long festive weekend will also work to the advantage of the film. One really cannot comment on whether it will surpass 3 Idiots' collection but indications are that the film is going to be one of the biggest hits ever."
The film has already collected three times more than Salman Khan's last big hit 'Wanted', Suniel Wadhwa, an independent distributor and analyst, said. " Wanted, which was an Eid release last year, had collected Rs 4.62 cr on the first day. 'Dabangg', the way it is going at the box office, is likely to wind up with Rs 45-48 crore in the opening weekend beating '3 Idiots' which collected Rs 41 crore during the same period," Wadhwa said.
Producer Arbaaz Khan is keeping his fingers crossed. "The film has certainly crossed '3 Idiots' but I don't want to jump the gun and say it will break ' 3 Idiots" record although the trend certainly looks good... One will have to wait till Monday to know where the film stands at the box office," said Arbaaz, adding, "It is definitely Salman's best performance ever."
