Mumbai, June 15 -- Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has expressed surprise over the overwhelming response to 'Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past', saying that while he believed the film would perform well, he never anticipated its 'success' on such a scale amid competition from bigger star-driven projects.

Speaking about the film, Bhatt said, "No one had expected that the film. I mean, I had expected that the film would run. But I didn't expect that it would run like this. It's such a big film, among such star cast films."

Recalling the circumstances that led to the film's release, the acclaimed filmmaker said repeated scheduling challenges left the makers with little option but to move forward and trust the audience.

"First, we were coming on May 2...