Salman Khan film releases are huge events, especially when they arrive on Eid.
This was expected from his latest release, Sikandar, as well.
Yes, the response post the trailer release wasn't the best but footfalls were expected from the mass audiences.
Salman's last theatrical release Tiger 3 had crossed the Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) mark on Diwali, so it was expected that the response on Eid would be better.
A Sunday release meant that there was an added advantage of attracting another segment of audiences at the multiplexes, and hence at least Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) was predicted.
When the advance bookings didn't take off in a big way, expectations were reset to Rs 32 crore to Rs 35 crore (Rs 320 million to Rs 350 million) on the opening day. That would also have been good enough since there were no block bookings or self bookings by the makers.
But piracy hit the film on Saturday night with the prints being leaked online.
As a result, the first day collections came to Rs 30.6 crore* (Rs 306 million) which is below expectations.
There are so many factors that have hit this A R Murugadoss film hard and mixed reviews haven't helped its cause either.
All eyes are now on how the film grows on Monday, as that would be crucial for the overall run of this big budget entertainer on which the industry has been pining hopes.
*Estimates.
Note: All collections as per various box office sources.
© 2025