Lady luck is smiling on Salman Khan. The actor, if trade pundits are to be believed, has struck gold at the box-office for the second time this year with Dabangg 2 .

Nearly two years after Dabangg ’s debut, speculations were high on whether Chulbul Pandey will once again woo the movie buffs. Stakes were also high on brand Salman Khan as the movie was releasing after Aamir Khan’s Talaash and Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan . Besides, he had to repeat his own success story after Ek Tha Tiger .

Trade analysts and multiplex players believe Salman Khan’s magic is working again at the box-office across the country, though it opened on a non-holiday (festival) Friday. If early estimates from trade analysts and multiplex players are any indicator, the first-day collections of the movie will easily cross Rs 20 crore, while others suggested it could end up grossing Rs 22-25 crore depending on the evening shows. Gautam Dutta, COO of PVR Cinemas, said, “The movie has seen a spectacular opening and we have registered over 2 lakh admits which translate to about an occupancy of over 80 per cent across our screens. The first three shows witnessed over 68 per cent occupancy.” He said that shows for Saturday and Sunday are looking good with high advance bookings by corporates.

While Arbaaz Khan Productions’ original had created waves with its ‘Zandu Balm’ song, the sequel ( Dabangg 2 ) has ‘Fevicol Se’ song. Besides Pidilite’s Fevicol, also en-cashing on the movie are Thums Up and Astral Poly Technik.

“The movie has had a wide and solo release and extends through the Christmas holidays,” said Ashish Saksena, COO of Big Cinemas. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “While the morning shows took off with fervour, the noon shows maintained the pace across the country, despite the fact that the film has opened really wide in India.”

>Meenakshi.v@thehindu.co.in

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