Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer 'Fighter', directed by Siddharth Anand, is creating all the right buzz. 'Fighter' trailer was unveiled recently and fans are waiting with bated breath to witness the aerial drama on screen. It is all set to hit the screens on January 25. For the unversed, 'Fighter' is Hrithik and Siddharth's third film after 'Bang Bang!' (2014) and 'War' (2019). 'Bang Bang!' opened to around Rs 28 crore while 'War' earned Rs 53.35 crore on Day 1. We asked trade experts' opinions to know if 'Fighter' will be able to beat the records of these two films. Read on to know what they said.
Film exhibitor, Akshaye Rathi said, ''The buzz around Fighter is absolutely huge. Hrithik Roshan and Siddharth Anand did War and Bang Bang together and both opened huge. Going by the promos and the trailer, I am pretty sure we are looking at a bare minimum of Rs 35 crore on Day 1. It's a working Friday and Republic Day is on January 26. So, I am sure that if word-of-mouth is good, there is a good chance that we will see Rs 50 crore happening''.
When asked if it would surpass Shah Rukh Khan's 'Pathaan' Day 1 collection, to which Rathi said. ''Pathaan was a huge film with Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone. There were so many factors at play. It was Yash Raj's production and brand equity coming into play. I don't know if Fighter would go past that. Never say never. But having said that, I feel it will earn Rs 35 crore minimum. It could earn Rs 38 crore or Rs 40-42 crore. Let's see''.
Talking about Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone's on-screen pairing, he said, ''They are looking spectacular together. Add to that, I really think among all the Hindi filmmakers, there are very few who really present the heroes and heroines like absolute dreams. Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Karan Johar do that and Siddharth Anand is one such filmmaker who presents heroes and heroines like nobody's business. In all the films including his debut, he has presented heroes and heroines like a dream and that continues''.
Rathi also called 'Fighter' a true blue mass entertainer that caters to the length and breadth of the country, multiplexes, single screens and Tier 1, 2 and 3.
Producer and film business expert, Girish Johar opined, ''We all as fans would want higher things to come. The trailer is very good but now we still have more time in the sense that we don't know the exact number of screens it is showcasing, and advance bookings are yet to open. I think they are also giving more marketing push and the tempo will be up with it.''
''As of now, I feel that Fighter should definitely open to Rs 30 crore plus or maybe less. It's a little early to gaze at that number but it should earn around that range,'' he added.
