Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has refused to draw comparisons of the first week box office collections of his latest success "Singh is Kinng" with that of Shah Rukh Khan's 2007 film "Om Shanti Om".
"It is wrong to compare the success of the two films. The Hindi film industry is one big market. Whatever money earned from the movies made goes into one kitty ... the film industry. Every one benefits out of successful films. Actors' fees also goes up," the actor told reporters last night at the function organised to celebrate the success of the film.
"Singh is Kinng" opening weekend gross ticket sales are a massive Rs 59.5 crore worldwide, he said.
Speaking about the trend of deciding the fate of a film in the opening week itself, Akshay said multiplexes have changed the business of cinema in recent years. "In an area like Juhu in suburban Mumbai, there are 28 shows of the film in one multiplex alone. Due to this, 80 to 90 per cent money is recovered by the producer," he said.
The actor agreed that the second week is the deciding factor of the film's fate in the long run. "It is quite natural that the collections slump at the start of the second week. Everything depends on how steep is the decline in box office collections. If the steep is less, the film is sure to bounce back during the weekend," he added.
When asked what worked in favour of the film, Akshay said that it was for the first time all the principal characters in the film were sikhs, the title of the film was catchy and it spoke about positive attitude to succeed in life.
To a question on whether he saw himself as the new "king" of Bollywood, Akshay replied in negative. "I have been around for only 15-16 years. To become a king, one has to have a long span of good work. I may call myself, if I survive for another 15 years," he added.
Akshay said Abhinav Bindra, who became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal in Olympics was the real 'king'. To a question on the film industry being divided into different camps and the reported fight between Salman Khan and Shah Rukh, Akshay Kumar said he saw no reason why he should interfere in others' affairs.
"They are adults and since they are said to have fought they would patch up eventually. who am I to interfere. The film industry is undergoing a change in the last five years. Bigger films with huge budgets are made. Profits made by any film helps the industry to grow. Dividing the industry into camps is not fair," he added.
Akshay said he was taking a short break with his family before resuming shooting for his pending projects. "I have not had a holiday for the last four months," he added. He lauded co-star Katrina Kaif for her success. He said, "four years ago, she came to Mumbai from London to make it big in Hindi films. She did not know a word of Hindi. But she learnt it and is continuously improving her accent and diction. Whatever she has achieved is commendable," he added.
Producer Vipul Shah said, 'Singh is Kinng' has shattered all previous opening weekend box office records. Indian Films has given the movie the widest ever release worldwide. "It released with 1,350 prints across 1,800 screens.
"The film has received excellent response in Delhi,UP, Rajasthan, Punjab, UK, Canada, USA and even Pakistan. Shows start as early as 7 am with the last show in Pakistan being conducted at 1 am, all to packed houses. In Mumbai, some multiplexes are running 28 shows a day to occupancy of 95 per cent," he added.