"Phenomenal. The enthusiasm among people for the film is massive and the five-day long weekend is a bonus for everyone. So, it’s a win-win situation for everyone," PVR COO Gautam Dutta said.
According to Shah Rukh, the idea of the whirlwind tour was to "inform" people about the film so that they know what to expect when they come to the cinema halls.
It seems the idea has worked well.
Sunil, deputy manager of Jaipur’s Golcha cinema, says that people are counting the days to watch their favourite star on the big screen after almost two years. His last movie was My Name Is Khan, which came at the beginning of 2010.
"People here just want to get that one glimpse of Shah Rukh. People are crazy about him, so much so that if the movie is released today, it will go houseful in no time," Sunil said.
Looking at the pre-release histeria that the film has created, Sunil plans to add more shows.
"Usually we run four shows a day, but we have plans to run five shows a day for Ra.One," he added.
Directed by Anubhav Sinha Ra.One, which also stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, is made at a budget of more than Rs 100 crore and boasts of world class special effects and graphics.
The festive mood seems to have added extra enthusiasm among people.
"We have already done advance booking of 25 percent. People are buying till Friday. Looking at the response, we are expecting the film to do well," said Wave Cinemas corporate head (cinemas)
Yogesh Raizada.The promos have generated enough curiosity among people to watch this superhero film in which Shah Rukh is playing G.One or Jeevan, while Arjun Rampal plays the evil character of RA.One.
The enthusiasm of people is evident in Chandigarh too where fans have been enquiring about advance booking for the past two weeks.
"We opened the advance booking for the film Sunday and so far we have managed to sell 100-150 tickets. People have been asking about the film for the past two weeks. And the holidays and extended weekend is ‘sone pe suhaga’ (icing on the cake) for the film," said Neelam Cinema customer relationship executive Sucha Singh.
"The movie has generated curiosity among people, they want to see their favourite star in a superhero avatar. Also, a lot has been said about the special effects so they want to see that as well," said Inox Indore customer relationship executive Narendra Yadav.
