'Tiger Zinda Hai' off to flying start at box office

New Delhi, Dec 22: Riding on the charisma of heartthrob Salman Khan, his adorable pairing with Katrina Kaif and a strong buzz in film cricles, 'Tiger Zinda Hai' on Friday took a flying start at the box office in India and abroad, trade experts said.

Produced by Yashraj films and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, 'Tiger Zinda Hai', a sequel to the 2012 hit 'Ek Tha Tiger', released on nearly 400 screens across the country today.

Among the much awaited films of 2017, 'Tiger Zinda Hai', which will see Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif reprise their roles of Indian spy Tiger and Pakistani spy Zoya from 'Ek Tha Tiger' has seen a heavy rush in advance bookings across the country, the experts said.

Cine lovers have come out in huge numbers to book tickets in advance, since bookings opened on Sunday.

Some theatres in Delhi saw huge rush outside cinema halls as tickets for the first day were sold quickly. Along with multiplexes, many single screen theatres opened their ticket counters on Sunday for Tiger Zinda Hai.

Expectations are sky high in the film trade from the movie, considering the huge collections of the original film

'Ek Tha Tiger'.

A lot is riding on the film after Salman's earlier film this year 'Tubelight' got a lukewarm response from the audience and performed far below the expectations.

Trade sources feel that 'Tiger Zinda Hai', made at an estimated cost of over Rs 150 crore, is expected to collect over Rs 30 crore on its opening day considering the craze for the film and the heavy rush in advance bookings.

In fact, trade experts say that it could well earn over Rs 100 crore in its opening weekend if word of mouth is good.