It was mentioned in this very column last week that if at all there was an opportunity for a film to enjoy a 40 crore Day One, Happy New Year was a front runner. This indeed turned out to be the case as the Shah Rukh Khan-Farah Khan-Deepika Padukone affair did manage this feat and went even beyond that in just the Hindi version. The rest of the weekend stayed stable too, hence resulting in a hefty total of 104 crore coming in.
A terrific start like this has ensured that all involved with the film will be in a plus zone. All eyes are now on the weekdays, though, to see how far the film goes from here. It was highlighted last week that ultimately, the content would decide the journey from 150 crore and beyond. While this is a number that will be comfortably crossed, the second weekend will decide whether 200 crore is in the film’s reach. Since there is no real competition for the film in week two (Rekha‘s Super Nani is the only notable release in the week), the multi-starrer entertainer has just the perfect platform available to rake in moolah.
While one waits to see the eventual outcome of Happy New Year, there are many records that have been created. Farah Khan now holds the record for biggest opening day ever. Shah Rukh Khan has scored his fifth straight century. Deepika Padukone too has five consecutive Hindi film centuries to her name. Also, Abhishek Bachchan has enjoyed yet another biggie after Dhoom 3.