It's final: OSO wins Saawariya loses

After the lavish publicity and hype created around the two biggest releases of the year, the box office verdict is out. Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om has won the box office battle against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya hands down. OSO has managed to collect more business than Saawariya. Even the critical and audience response has been favourable towards the SRK starrer. OSO has taken the year's biggest opening surpassing that of Sohail Khan's Partner. The film opened to a record shatterin 95-100% response all over with 2000 prints (including digital prints) released.

According to reports in the trade circle, the reports of OSO are in fact very positive from all parts of the country and is poised to be an all-India hit. Saawariya may not have opened as well as Om Shanti Om but the opening is still amongst the best of 2007. The film had collections of 95-100% at multiplexes while single screens were around 80-85%.

Trade pundit, J Popat says, "OSO is the winner all over the world. Be it India or overseas. It will collect 100 % collections in the first week. I can't predict the business of OSO, but can cross the 200-crore figure. Industry insiders were scoffing at Eros International when they acquired a 45 crore movie for 75 crore. Now I think the 75 crore will be recovered in the first week itself. Regarding Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya, it is a disaster. It has opened well but will collect 70 per cent in the first week.".

Another trade pundit Amod Mehra predicts, "OSO will collect around 95 % and Saawariya will be around 75 % in the first week. In my opinion the collection of Jab We Met will increase from this weekend because of the Saawariya disaster. OSO will be strong in the 2nd week also because of Saawariya and no releases. I think OSO will crosss 70 plus figure in the first week itself. The collections of OSO in UK has crossed 1 million and 1.25 million in the US. For Saawariya the collections in UK and US is only 40 per cent. It looks like SRK's fourth best hit of the decade after Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham. The reason Saawariya was not accepted by the audience is that the movie is not a love story but a one-sided love story."