Superstar Shah Rukh Khan made a grand comeback to the big screen with his new Hindi film Pathaan raising a whopping Rs 55 crore net and its dubbed versions bringing in additional Rs 2 crores on the opening day, the makers announced on Thursday.
According to production house Yash Raj Films (YRF), the movie’s net day one collection stood at Rs 55 crore, the “highest grossing first day for a Hindi film”.
Pathaan was also released in Tamil and Telugu on Wednesday.
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”.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted his reaction
‘PATHAAN’ CREATES HISTORY, BIGGEST DAY 1 TOTAL… #Pathaan is now BIGGEST OPENER [#Hindi films] in #India… *Day 1* biz…
⭐️ #Pathaan: ₹ 55 cr [Non-holiday]
⭐️ #KGF2 #Hindi: ₹ 53.95 cr
⭐️ #War: ₹ 51.60 cr
⭐️ #TOH: ₹ 50.75 cr
Nett BOC. #India biz. pic.twitter.com/y2c5F0ySN0— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 26, 2023
Adarsh before release had tweeted
#OneWordReview…#Pathaan: BLOCKBUSTER.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½#Pathaan has it all: Star power, style, scale, songs, soul, substance and surprises… And, most importantly, #SRK, who’s back with a vengeance… Will be the first #Blockbuster of 2023. #PathaanReview pic.twitter.com/Xci1SN72hz— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 25, 2023
The first day gross collection of the stylish spy thriller is also the “highest ever” in Shah Rukh’s career as well as for co-stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, director Anand and YRF, the studio stated in a press release.
“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.
With its record day one haul, Pathaan has exceeded the expectations of the industry experts who were banking on the action spectacle to pull out Bollywood from the trenches of the pandemic and a string of box-office duds.
The film opened on Wednesday in over 5,000 screens across the country, including big cities like Delhi and Mumbai. The movie has a five-day extended opening weekend as it released just the day before Republic Day.
