‘Dunki’ box office collection Day 1: Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani’s much-awaited film Dunki released on Thursday, December 21, 2023, clashing with Prabhas and Prashanth Neel’s Salaar. While both films had huge expectations from the audience, Salaar emerged as the clear winner at the box office on the first day, crushing Dunki with a huge gap.
Dunki earns Rs 38 crore net in India
According to early estimates, Dunki earned around Rs 38 crore net in India on its opening day, which is a good start for a weekday release. The film, which revolves around a group of friends and their desire to travel, received positive reviews from critics and fans, who praised Shah Rukh Khan’s performance, Rajkumar Hirani’s direction, and the film’s message. However, the film could not match the craze of Shah Rukh Khan’s previous films this year, Pathaan and Jawan, which were mass commercial action films and brought an enormous number of audiences for the opening shows.
Opening Numbers: According to trade reports, Dunki raked in an estimated Rs 30 crore nett on its opening day in India. While this is a respectable figure, it falls short when compared to Khan’s previous releases this year, Pathaan (₹57 crore) and Jawan (₹75 crore). This gap has raised eyebrows and sparked discussions about the film’s potential at the box office.
Salaar collects Rs 75 crore net in India
On the other hand, Salaar, which is Prabhas’ third film this year after Adipurush and Radhe Shyam, collected a whopping Rs 75 crore net in India on its first day, making it the second-highest opening day collection of 2023, after Leo. The film, which is an action thriller set in the underworld, received mixed reviews from critics but was loved by the fans of Prabhas, who praised his action scenes, screen presence, and chemistry with Shruti Haasan. The film also benefited from the huge fan following of Prabhas in the South, where it recorded phenomenal collections in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam languages.
Dunki vs Salaar: The overseas battle
In the overseas market, Dunki performed better than Salaar, as Shah Rukh Khan has a huge fan base in countries like UAE, UK, USA, and Australia. According to early estimates, Dunki earned around $3.25 million gross in the overseas market on its first day, while Salaar earned around $2.5 million gross. However, Salaar is expected to pick up in the overseas market over the weekend, as the word of mouth is positive among the overseas audience.
Dunki vs Salaar: The future prospects
Both Dunki and Salaar have a long way to go at the box office, as they have a four-day extended weekend ahead of them, followed by the Christmas and New Year holidays. Dunki is expected to grow over the weekend, as the family audience and the multiplex audience will flock to the theatres to watch the film. Salaar, on the other hand, is expected to maintain its momentum, as the mass audience and the single-screen audience will continue to support the film. Both films have the potential to cross the Rs 200 crore mark in India, and the Rs 300 crore mark worldwide, if they sustain well in the coming days.
