Yuvvraaj is out of the race, it’s up to Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini to strike.

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With 2008 not being the best year for the film industry in terms of turnover, hopes were pinned on the remaining three big ones: Yuvvraaj, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and Ghajini. However, with this week’s release Yuvvraaj being a non-starter at the box office, all hopes are now pinned on the remaining two Khans.

The combined budget of the three films is touted to be over Rs100 crores, say film experts. Other than these three, small films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Dil Kabaddi and the animated Jumbo are set to hit screens towards the fag end of the year too. But the film industry has its hearts set on the Big 3 clearly.

“Most of the big films in 2008 have flopped. Now, it is important for the Khans to fire. Even if two of the three films are big hits, it could change the face of 2008,” says Komal Nahta, editor of The Film Street Journal. Producer Ramesh Taurani feels that the expectations from both Rab Ne…, which releases on December 12 and Christmas Day release Ghajini, are sky-high and a lot depends on their performance at the ticket windows.

It would also be interesting to see how the audience reacts to each of the Khans. All in their mid-40s, but still at the top of their game, the Khans have been battling each other at the Box Office since the early 90s now. With stars like Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan having given hits like Singh Is Kinng and Jodhaa Akbar earlier this year, it would have been ideal to see the Khans ending the year on a successful note too.

However, with experts touting Yuvvraaj to be a failed enterprise already, Salman will now have to look forward to his biggies London Dreams and Veer, which release next year. “He is a big star and the success or a failure of one film will not change his standing in the industry. After all, he has maintained his popularity over two decades, hasn’t he?” says Taurani. For the time being all eyes are set on the remaining two Khan releases in December.