Box office: Yash's KGF running neck-and-neck with SRK's Zero?

Trade pundits say underwhelming opening weekend for Zero, claim South film KGF running neck-and-neck with Bollywood release

Though Shah Rukh Khan's Zero enjoyed a solo Bollywood release, it seems to be facing stiff competition from an unlikely quarter - Kannada superstar Yash's KGF Chapter 1. After earning Rs 20.14 crore on the opening day, the Anushka Sharma-Katrina Kaif starrer saw a dip on Saturday and managed to garner Rs 18.22 crore, thus taking the two-day tally to Rs 38.3 crore. Interestingly, the Prashanth Neel-directed multi-lingual wasn't far behind at Rs 37.25 crore (across the five versions - Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi).

Shah Rukh Khan's Zero rakes in Rs 38.3 crore

Trade guru Amod Mehra says that it's unfair to compare the two films. "The Hindi version of KGF has earned only Rs 5 crore in two days, which is way below Zero's collection. But, there is no doubt that the film has done well while SRK's film has underperformed, " he says, adding that the Aanand L Rai-directed venture has four days before Ranveer Singh's Simmba comes roaring.

What is also to be noted is that the two offerings are running neck-and-neck, despite KGF being allotted lesser screens. Trade analyst Girish Wankhede says, "Zero released in almost 4,300 screens while KGF had 2,500 screens. But the collections, so far, are almost the same."

Yash's KGF: Chapter 1 rakes in Rs 37.2 crore

Trade pundit Komal Nahta adds, "The sheer fact that Zero saw a drop in business isn't a good sign. Meanwhile, KGF has collected a huge number in the South Indian market, but it has been a dull start [for the Hindi version]."

Giving credit where it's due, Akshaye Rathi says, "Despite it being a non-holiday, Zero collected Rs 20 crore on Friday. Both films are expected to do good numbers on Sunday."

All is not lost for Khan's outing - trade guru Amul Mohan says it may see a change of fortunes. "The film may see a turnaround due to Christmas. But, that there is a marginal difference between collections of KGF and Zero doesn't reflect well on the latter."

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