In the power stakes of Bollywood, he has till now been considered a rank outsider or an 'also ran', behind the 'Khan trioka' of Aamir, Salman and Shahrukh Khan.

He might have featured in a series of back-to-back hits with amazing regularity over the last few years but when it comes to being reckoned for the crown of the 'King of Bollywood', the name of action hero Akshay Kumar has always been the last choice after the Khans.

Not any more.

Critics might have taken potshots at his ''no brainer'' act in Anees Bazmee's 'Singh Is Kinng' but the unprecedented box office opening worldwide for the Akshay-Katrina-starrer would put to rest all reservations and misgivings of critics about the huge appeal that Akshay now commands among the cinegoers, something which puts him in league with, if not above, Shahrukh, Aamir and Salman Khan.

Released worldwide on August 8, 'Singh Is Kinng' has earned Rs 25 to 30 crore in just the first three days of its release, breaking all box office records in the last ten years.

The film had net collections of Rs 8 crore on the first day and Rs 10 crore on the second day of its screening, breaking previous records set in the past 10 years, trade sources said.

Given the huge craze for it across the country and also abroad, with cinema halls across India, Britain and North America running to packed houses, the film could well gross over Rs 40 crore worldwide in its opening week, an achievement no Shahrukh, Aamir or Salman Khan-starrer has managed in recent years.

Infact, trade sources had, prior to the film's release, said the film had already earned Rs 25-30 crore in bookings (which include Friday's collections and advance bookings till the opening Sunday) for the first three days.

Says Mr Harsh Chawla of Network 18, the producer of the movie, ''The response to 'Singh Is Kinng' has been excellent. It has been the biggest opening ever that any Indian move has seen.

We have had about 1, 700 screens showing the movie in India and abroad and about Rs 45 crore coming in from domestic market as the net revenue gross was about Rs 70 crore and even internationally, about Rs 12 crore of net revenue came over in the weekend.''

In terms of its gross for the opening weekend, 'Singh Is Kinng' could surpass the collections of superhits like 'Race', 'Jodhaa Akbar' and 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na'.

In the overseas region, the film managed the biggest-ever opening in the US, Britain and West Asia.

In the US, 'Singh Is Kinng' grossed 2, 32, 000 dollars against 2, 27, 000 dollars by 'Om Shanti Om' (OSO) and 2, 09, 000 dollars by Ashutosh Gowarikar's 'Jodhaa Akbar'. Till date, OSO and Jodhaa Akbar were the top grossers in the North American circuit.

In the UAE, 'Singh Is Kinng' grossed 1.4 million United Arab Emirates dirhams in the first two days while in Britain, it has earned 3, 37, 000 pounds.

In neighbouring Pakistan too, where the film was released on August 8 along with the rest of the world, 'Singh Is Kinng' has opened to an overwhelming response.

The craze for the film in Pakistan is unparalleled. Cinema halls in the neighbouring country reporterd heavy rush in advance bookings. For example, at cinema halls in Lahore there was a mad frenzy for the tickets of the movie. At DHA cinema, every show is sold out for the next six days.

Such is the craze for the film that extra shows had to be organised at many cinema halls in Lahore as late as 0100 hrs (local time) to accommodate extra people.