Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Pathaan' in Hindi collected a whopping Rs 70 crore at the Indian box office on the second day of the release on Thursday, according to Box Office India.
This is after it collected Rs 57 crore domestically on the first day of the release, the highest ever a film has made on the opening day, the makers said. This includes Rs 2 crore from dubbed versions in the south. "Pathaan" was also released in Tamil and Telugu on Wednesday.
“The two day business is looking in the Rs 125 crore nett range which only the two dubbed films (KGF2 and Bahubali - The Conclusion have bettered over three days and with some luck it may even edge past Bahubali -The Conclusion in two days,” Box Office India said in its report.
The Siddharth Anand directorial, which faced boycott calls over the song "Besharam Rang", marks Shah Rukh's return to movies after a gap of over four years. His previous film was 2018's "Zero".
YRF said "Pathaan" had set multiple new records, including the "widest Hindi release of all time in India" and "highest grossing first day for a non-holiday release".
Film trade analyst Komal Nahta called the Rs 57 crore opening in India the biggest ever for a Hindi film, despite being released on a working day and not a sequel.
Film critic Taran Adarsh said the film earned Rs 27.08 crore for day 1 and had Rs 28.73 crores for day 2 from national chains PVR, INOX and Cinepolis. He forecast a total collection of over Rs 64-65 crores by the end of the second day of screening.
Adarsh also noted that Pathaan had grossed Rs 106 crores from releases worldwide for day 1 and had broken the worldwide opening day record for a Hindi film.
"It is a historic day for Indian cinema and we are humbled to see the love and appreciation that is flowing for 'Pathaan' globally. For 'Pathaan' to shatter records in this fashion on a non-holiday, just proves that the theatrical business is here to stay, provided we make films that entice people to come to the cinemas to witness a never seen before experience that entertains them thoroughly," Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films, said in a statement.
In 2019, War collected Rs 50 crore net and 2022's KGF 2 (Hindi) did a business of Rs 52 crore net. Till Tuesday, "Pathaan" sold 4.19 lakh tickets in advance booking, reflecting 80 percent occupancy on day 1, even for early morning shows beginning at 6 am or 7 am, said industry insiders.
On Wednesday, fans of Shah Rukh Khan went gaga over the release of Pathaan as they cut cakes and danced before entering theatres across several cities in the country. Some of the fans came with loudspeakers and they danced to the tune of ‘Pathaan’ songs before proceeding inside the theatre. They also raised slogans like ‘SRK Zindabad’.
Film industry colleagues, directors and actors took to social media to celebrate the grand opening of the SRK and Deepika Padukone movie’s release.
"Pathaan" received positive reviews on the first day with videos of jubilant fans dancing to songs, and whistling loudly as their favourite star made the entry circulating on the Internet and creating a celebratory mood in the hit-starved Hindi film industry.
Amid boycott calls and controversy over the colour of the outfit of its star Deepika Padukone in the movie's song "Besharam Rang", the initial reactions of the viewers and critics alike gave a lot to the film fraternity to cheer for.
“#pathan OMG! Blown away! Just fantastic! @iamsrk @deepikapadukone #johnabraham. Just fantastic! Thank you being the reason for the industry to celebrate again! @yrf #sidharthanand,” Raveena Tondon twitter.
Director Rahul Dholakia, who directed Shah Rukh in “Raees” six years ago tweeted “Six years ago we released #Raees - today was Day One for #Pathaan. An incredible experience watching it in a full house show on a huge IMAX screen, with the die hard fans of @iamsrk @deepikapadukone @TheJohnAbraham @BeingSalmanKhan !! Madness !!!”
(Edited by : Pradeep John)
First Published: Jan 26, 2023 12:13 PM IST
