Kaalakandi vs 1921 vs Mukkabaaz: Who will win the box office battle on first day?

The Indian box office has recently witnessed the first clash of 2018 as three of the Bollywood movies with renowned names attached to it has hit the screens this Friday.

We are talking about Saif Ali Khan-starrer Kaalakandi, Vikram  Bhatt's 1921 with Zareen Khan and Karan Kundra, and Anurag Kashyap's directorial Mukkabaaz.

Indeed, this clash has provided the audience with a diversity of content from a fun-filled Kaalakaandi, to horror flick 1921 and youth-centric Mukkabaaz.

It is going to be a close fight for the three of them despite being from different genres. Besides, we cannot miss the continuous roaring of Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai which might turn out to be a big hurdle for the new releases at the box offices.

The early predictions by trade analysts suggest that the three movies will have to struggle for their first day collections.

Saif Ali Khan's Kaalakaandi, which has been one of the most talked about releases of 2018, has reportedly opened to mixed reviews. While the story lacked lustre, Khan is said to have impressed the audience with his acting skills.

Also Read | Aamir Khan reviews Kaalakaandi; calls Saif Ali Khan 'Outstanding'

Bollywood trade analyst Akshaye Rathi in his conversation with Indian Express stated, “The film has a target audience and hence, it will have a limited revenue.” He further mentioned that with the movie having limited audience Kaalakaandi is expected to mint a business of Rs 1.5 crore on its day of release, followed by a collection of around Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore in the opening weekend.

On the other hand, there is Anurag Kashyap's directorial Mukkabaaz starring Vineet Kumar Singh, Zoya Hussain, Jimmy Shergill and Ravi Kishan in key roles. The youth-centric movie has witnessed rave reviews from the audience and is being touted to be Anurag's best movies so far. Although Mukkabaaz is for a wider audience, it is expected to make a collection of around Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore on the first day as quoted by trade analyst Akshaye Rathi in Indian Express. He further said that Mukkabaaz will also mint a business anywhere between Rs 3.5 crore to Rs 4.5 crore in the first weekend.

Also Read | Anurag Kashyap talks tough, says films are not charity or message

Talking about Vikram Bhatt's 1921, the movie has been the fourth installment of Bhatt's horror franchise. While the earlier installments have managed to leave a good impact on the audience, 1921 is certainly for the ones who are in for some scary moments.

Indeed, Vikram Bhatt has mastered the art of giving horror flicks to the industry and it has turned out to be quite beneficial for the director as well. Despite having a tough competition at the box office, 1921 is expected to surpass Mukkabaaz and Kaalakaandi in the first-day collection and will reportedly mint Rs 3-4 crore on its day of release.
While the early prediction depicts 1921 doing a good business at the box office, only time will reveal how true the speculations turn out to be.

It will be interesting to see if these three fresh releases be able to survive this tough competition and mark a new beginning of box office in 2018 or we will still have to wait for another major release