Superstar Shah Rukh Khan made a grand return to the silver screen with his new Hindi film ‘Pathaan’, which collected a whopping Rs 106 crore worldwide on its opening day, the makers announced on Thursday.
According to the production house Yash Raj Films (YRF), the film recorded the “biggest opening day in the history of Hindi cinema”. The film’s first-day net collection was Rs 55 crore, the “highest-grossing first day for a Hindi film”, with its dubbed versions bringing in an additional Rs two crore. “Pathaan” was also released in Tamil and Telugu on Wednesday.
Directed by Siddharth Anand, who faced boycott calls for the song ‘Besharam Rang’, it marks Shah Rukh’s return to films after more than four years. His previous film was 2018’s ‘Zero’. YRF said that “Pathaan” created several new records, including the “widest Hindi release of all time in India” and the “highest grossing first day for a non-holiday release”.
“Pathaan” is the fourth film in producer Aditya Chopra’s ambitious spy world, after Salman Khan’s “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017) and Hrithik Roshan’s “War” (2019). The film follows the titular spy Pathaan (Shah Rukh) who comes from exile to stop the terrorist outfit Outfit X, led by Jim (John), from launching a debilitating attack on India. “Pathaan” also has a guest appearance by Salman as a spy Tiger.
The stylish spy thriller’s first-day gross is also the “highest ever” in Shah Rukh’s career, as well as for the John Abraham-starrer Deepika Padukone, director Anand and YRF, the studio said in a press release. “It’s a historic day for Indian cinema and we are humbled to see the love and appreciation pouring in for ‘Pathaan’ across the globe.
“That ‘Pathaan’ is breaking records in this way on another holiday just proves that the theater business is here to stay, provided we make films that entice people to come to theaters to witness a never-before-seen experience that is perfectly entertains. Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films, said in a statement.
With its record-breaking opening day, “Pathaan” surpassed the expectations of industry pundits who were banking on the action spectacle to pull Bollywood out of the trenches of the pandemic and a string of box office duds. The film opened on Wednesday in more than 5,000 screens across the country, including major cities like Delhi and Mumbai. The film has a five-day extended opening weekend as it was released just a day before Republic Day.
Pathaan selling 4.19 lakh advance booking
Till Tuesday, “Pathaan” was selling 4.19 lakh advance tickets sold, reflecting 80% occupancy on the first day, even for morning shows starting at 6 am or 7 am, industry insiders said. Buoyed by the phenomenal response to the star-studded entertainer, production banner YRF on Wednesday said it has added a 12.30 midnight show across the country. Additionally, 300 more screens have been added due to high demand, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, taking the film’s total number of screens worldwide to 8,500.
Read Now :<strong>Role and contribution of Lala Lajpat Rai in Indian independence struggle </strong>
