Akshay Kumar’s Gold vs John Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate: Who will win the box office battle?

Wednesday is the new Friday this week as Akshay Kumar’s film Gold clashes with John Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate at the box office this Independence Day. Akshay is the clear favourite on Independence Day and Republic Day weekends and in the past his films such as Rustom, Toilet Ek Prem Katha and even Padman have booked these days and went on to do great business. Padman was later shifted to February 2018 after Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose film Padmaavat was also releasing on the same day, requested Akshay to shift it.

John Abraham’s Satyameva Jayate, on the other hand, have got traction since promotions started. John has his own dedicated fan following and his last, Parmanu, did reall well. So, who will win the battle of the box office?

Akshay Kumar vs John Abraham – star power

Akshay is without doubt the bigger star of the two but John also has his own dedicated fan base. However, this is clearly advantage Akshay as his socially relevant brand of cinema has found favour with the audience. His last few films have all worked and his success rate is off the charts at present. John also tasted success with Parmanu, which also had a distinct patriotic flavour.

All said and done, Gold is expected to get a bigger opening based on Akshay’s star power.

Gold vs Satyameva Jayate – screen count

Screens are expected to be evenly distributed between Gold and Satyameva Jayate with a sloght advantage to Akshay’s film. Trade says Satyameva Jayate is getting 2200 plus screens with Akshay’s film’s screen count reaching over 2500. While Gold is expected to be a winner, Satyameva Jayate may eat into its business.

Gold and Satyameva Jayate – the details

A sports drama with a decidedly patriotic flavour, Gold has Akshay playing Tapan Das who brings the perfect hockey team together in post-Independence India. How the film wins the gold at the Olympics forms the crux of the story. The film has passed censor’s scrutiny without a single visual cut and is two hours and 33 minutes long.

Satyameva Jayate is a vigilante drama that pits John Abraham against Manoj Bajpayee’s cop. The film is two hours and 21 minutes long and has adults-only rating. Talking about the clash, John said, “I think there is enough space for two big films on a holiday. It’s not competing. We are complementing each other. We would love if people go and see Satyameva Jayate and we would be absolutely happy if people go and see Gold.”