Hyderabad: December was a very interesting month for Indian cinema and movie enthusiasts. While there were a number of interesting releases, such as Sam Bahadur and Hi Nanna, Animal caused box office rampage both in India and the US. Now, two major releases are coming up at the end of the year, and everyone is expecting another record breaking collections from them.
Prashanth Neel's Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire with Prabhas and Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki, in which he works with Rajkumar Hirani for the first time, is slated to clash at the box office in the coming days. This is Prashanth Neel's ambitious film following the enormous success of the KGF franchise. Although advance sales for both films are anticipated to begin this weekend in India, the US market is currently the focus of competition. There, advance sales have been thrown open for some time now, and as the release date approaches, demand is starting to build.
While Salaar has the advantage of having opened reservations well in advance, Shah Rukh Khan's mass appeal cannot be understated. Salaar will make its theatrical debut on December 21 and to date, it has sold approximately 22,000 tickets for 1119 shows from 347 locations, grossing $593,657 (roughly Rs 4.94 crore).
Comparatively, Dunki, which releases on the same day, has raised $90,292 (about Rs 75 lakhs) from the sale of 6514 tickets for 925 shows from 328 locations. Dunki appears to have acquired the same number of screens and shows as Salaar, despite initial concerns that it wouldn't be able to compete with recent blockbusters like Wonka, Aquaman, and The Lost Kingdom. Even so, while the movie's trailer release helped boost advance sales, the movie isn't receiving the same level of public attention as a typical Rajkumar Hirani production. However, the course of events will become clear in the coming days.
Also read:
- Censor Board grants A certificate to Prabhas and Prashanth Neel's Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire
- Dunki trailer X reactions: Netizens hail SRK - Rajkumar Hirani combo; convinced of '3rd all time blockbuster loading' after Pathaan and Jawan
- Prabhas and Prashanth Neel's Salaar: Part 1: Ceasefire breaks record; becomes most viewed Indian trailer in 24 hours
- Salaar surpasses SRK's Dunki in teaser views: Prabhas takes the lead
