In the first box office clash of the year, Akshay Kumar's patriotic drama 'Airlift' takes on Ekta Kapoor's porn-com, 'Kyaa Kool Hain Hum (KKHH) 3' today. While there is more or less an equal level of hype surrounding both films, trade sources say 'KKHH 3' has the edge as far as the screen count is concerned.
"The two films belong to completely different genres and will cater to different segments of the audience. However, 'KKHH 3' has better chances of doing well since it is releasing on 2,200-2,500 screens. 'Airlift', on the other hand, has managed to get around 1,800-2,000 screens," reveals a trade source.
Aman Gill, CEO of Balaji Telefilms which is producing 'KKHH 3', claims the buzz created by the trailer, songs and franchise value of the sex comedy has lead to exhibitors wanting to give it a wide release. "It is set to release on 2,200-plus screens with 70 per cent of single screens choosing to run it," he says.
Prashant Tiwari, all India distributor for Airlift, however, says that Airlift has bagged more than 3,000 screens across the country.
"Both single screens and multiplexes have decided to give maximum screens to Airlift. Advance booking trends are phenomenal and higher than recent Akshay Kumar openers. Audience demand is high across centres," he adds.
