Akshay Kumar who was giving tough competition to the Khans in the popularity stakes until just a couple of years ago, has fallen a little by the wayside, with his recent films not doing as well. While the Khans made the most of their good box-office fortunes with films that crossed the `100-crore mark, Akki had to contend himself with films like Thank You, Patiala House and Action Replay. But with Desi Boyz, Akshay looks like he could finally mount a serious enough challenge once again.
“The first promos of Desi Boyz have seen a good response. The film is looking fresh, while Akshay and John seem to share good chemistry as well. Even on YouTube and social networking sites, the reactions have been quite positive,” says a trade guru, adding that the film could well be one of the most aggressively marketed ones in recent times.
Also, the film isn’t expected to have any competition. “It comes two weeks after Rockstar, and is a solo release, which could ensure a good opening. However, the next month will see biggies like The Dirty Picture, Ladies vs Ricky Behl, Mission Impossible 4 and Don 2. So a lot depends on the opening weekend. If they indeed intend crossing the `100-crore mark, they need to cash in on the opening,” a source adds.