“Mega blockbuster”, “path-breaking” and “best computer graphics”, Shah Rukh Khan fans are sparing no words in the blogosphere, as they declare Ra.One a hit, a day after it was released on Diwali.
The critics have been harsh in their reviews, giving the sci-fi film low ratings.
The cash registers at the box office, though, seem to tell a different tale. As the balance swings between critical appreciation and financial gains, the Hindi version of the film has already grossed Rs 14 crore on Day 1, according to Boxofficeindia.com.
In fact, according to trade analyst Mr Taran Adarsh's tweet, the film across languages (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu) has grossed over Rs 18 crore.
However, it still falls short of the Rs 20.62 crore grossed by Salman Khan-starrer Bodyguard .
The maximum collections have been at theatres in Mumbai, Delhi/Uttar Pradesh and Nizam centres, with each raking in Rs 5.66 crore, Rs 2.2 crore and Rs 1.15 crore, respectively, the trade-website said.
The Badshah of Bollywood, whose wife is producer of the film, has also ensured that by releasing the movie mid-week on Wednesday, he gets a five-day weekend, which means four more days of collection before the audience moves on to the next offering.
That the movie will be able to more than break even, is understood given the marketing blitzkrieg one has been experiencing for the past one or more months, say trade analysts. Ra.One is reported to have about 30 marketing tie-ups ranging from laptops to deodorants.
Virtual Drama
The virtual world saw as much drama as the hysteria the movie drummed-up. Veteran actor Mr Amitabh Bachchan's Twitter account was hacked, with the hacker posting negative comments on Ra.One .
“Saw #RA1. What a WASTE. Even the worst of Abhishek's like Drona were much better. May be SRK's mid age crises,” was the alleged tweet posted by Mr Bachchan's account — only to be later denied by Mr Bachchan himself.
As Ra.One plays out its battle of good against evil on 3,000 screens across India, the online debate too rages on. “Too reminiscent of the many Hollywood superhero movies,” said one blogger, echoing the sentiment of several others.
And then there are the jokes on Twitter, including asking for the Prime Minister's relief fund for movie-goers. “Rahul Gandhi to visit families who watched Ra.One ,” adds another politically-inclined tweet.