Rustom vs Mohenjo Daro: Will Akshay Kumar win 1st day battle against Hrithik Roshan?

Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan are set to battle it out at the Box Office as their films - Rustom and Mohenjo Daro - release on 12 August, 2016. While Rustom's trailer and music have garnered positive response, Mohenjo Daro has not quite managed to generate the buzz expected.

Rustom is Akshay Kumar's third release of the year whereas Mohenjo Daro marks the return of Hrithik Roshan, two years after Bang Bang.

A day prior to the release, Catch spoke to renowned exhibitors, distributors and trade analysts from the industry who believe that even though Rustom has slight edge over Mohenjo Daro in terms of opening day collections, it is too early to write the Hrithik Roshan film off.

Here's what they had to say about the clash:

Amul Vikas Mohan (Editor in chief, Super Cinema)

"I think right now Rustom is slightly better but everybody is making a big mistake by writing off Mohenjo Daro. They are two big films and on a non-holiday Friday, the overall day will be in the range of Rs 25 crore. One movie will obviously fare slightly better but the real test for both will be on Monday which is a national holiday. A film with better word of mouth will cement its position at the Box Office by Monday. I think the total collections on Monday will easily be in the range of Rs 32 to Rs 35 crore. Day 4 will be slightly bigger than the opening three days and will also make it easy to pick a winner.

Harsh Jain (Exhibitor: Sanman Group)

"I feel Rustom is very hot in the trade as well as general public. It will definitely take a better opening than Mohenjo Daro. The masses are not interested in Mohenjo Daro as the promotions and trailers have not gone down well with the audience. It can definitely grow over the extended weekend but for that to happen a good word of mouth is necessary. Things would have been way better had the two films not clashed at the Box Office but when it comes to ego, you cannot do anything. We have seen a big star like Shah Rukh Khan losing the battle to Ranveer Singh. So you cannot predict in this line of business."

Rajesh Thadani (Distributor: Mumbai Circuit)

"Rustom has been generating more curiosity in comparison with Mohenjo Daro because it has been packaged in a better manner. But at the same time, you cannot rule out Mohenjo Daro. Initially, Rustom may have the upper hand but eventually it all boils down to the content. In terms of screen count, Mohenjo Daro has an upper hand over Rustom as they had booked the single screens long back. I would say both are going to eat into each other's business but at the same time, they will benefit by the Holiday season.

Mohan Kasat (Kasat Films: CP Bearer)

"I have been in the trade business since the last 40 years and no clash is beneficial for the film industry. It is very difficult to predict the business as both films look attractive to me. Hrithik is looking very different, plus this will be his first release since Bang Bang. So it will be a clash of equals."