It is advantage Rustom over Mohenjo Daro on day one with the Akshay Kumar-starrer taking a better opening at the box office over Hrithik Roshan&rsquo;s period drama in the first big-ticket clash of 2016.
<img title="A still from Rustom and 'Mohenjo Daro'" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/aug/13-Box.jpg" alt="A still from Rustom and 'Mohenjo Daro'" /> A still from 'Rustom' and 'Mohenjo Daro'
The Khiladi&rsquo;s thriller released across 2,300 screens in India, about 400 less than its competitor, but managed to pull in more crowds. The film is also enjoying a good, if not outstanding, word-of-mouth and the collections are expected to soar over the weekend and Monday, which coincides with Independence Day &mdash; a national holiday.
Trade pundit Vishekh Chauhan said, &ldquo;Rustom has emerged as the clear winner. It is leading across India, barring a few pockets in South India. Places like Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad have warmed up to Mohenjo Daro. If you consider the average occupancy rate, Akshay&rsquo;s film had an edge of 15-20 per cent over Hrithik&rsquo;s. The lifetime collection difference is expected to be Rs 20-30 crore.&rdquo;
The Hrithik-starrer managed to bag more screens given a three-film agreement between producers, UTV, and single screen theatre owners. The deal covers Baaghi, which released last April, Mohenjo Daro and Dangal in December. &ldquo;As a result, a bulk of single screens is exclusively showcasing Mohenjo Daro because they want Dangal, a solo release. They don&rsquo;t mind forsaking Akshay Kumar for Aamir Khan,&rdquo; Chauhan added.
Trade expert Amod Mehra, who watched Mohenjo Daro&rsquo;s 9.15 am show at a Juhu multiplex with barely eight others in the audience, said, &ldquo;The opening was highly disappointing as opposed to an encouraging start by Rustom.&rdquo; Putting it in figures, box office analyst Komal Nahta said, &ldquo;Rustom witnessed an occupancy rate of 60-65 per cent. Mohenjo Daro attracted half of that.&rdquo;
Trade-smith Girish Wankhede echoed the sentiment: &ldquo;Footfalls for Mohenjo Daro will remain more or less constant over the weekend since the word-of-mouth isn&rsquo;t good. However, in case of Rustom, it will go up to at least 70-75 per cent.&rdquo; Exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi said while Rustom had a significant advantage, Hrithik, being a favourite in urban centres, could hope for his film&rsquo;s collections to improve as the day progressed. &ldquo;For opening day figures, we might be looking at R13-14 crore for Rustom and R9 crore for Mohenjo Daro, because the merit of the content will make all the difference,&rdquo; he added.
The economics RUSTOM Budget: Rs 60 crore Sale of satellite and music rights: Rs 35 crore (expected) Screens: 2,317 (India) + 550 (overseas)
MOHENJO DARO Budget: Rs 130 crore Sale of satellite and music rights: Rs 60 crore Screens: 2,700 (India) + 780 (overseas) (All figures are approximate and collected from production and distribution sources)

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It is advantage 'Rustom' over 'Mohenjo Daro' on day one with the Akshay Kumar-starrer taking a better opening at the box office over Hrithik Roshan's period drama in the first big-ticket clash of 2016

Box office: Akshay Kumar's 'Rustom' beats Hrithik Roshan's 'Mohenjo Daro'

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Box office: Akshay Kumar's 'Rustom' beats Hrithik Roshan's 'Mohenjo Daro'

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