Salman Khan’s Sikandar was released in theatres on Sunday, March 30. The film marked the superstar’s return to his favourite festival—Eid—after two years.
After the failure of Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan in 2023, Sikandar was Salman’s chance to regain his footing on Eid. But a not-so-strong box office performance has meant that the opportunity has been squandered.
Sikandar barely crossed ₹50 crore worldwide on its opening day, a collection that may have been a cause for celebration some 10 years ago but is just middling in an era when Bollywood films are opening to that much just domestically. This has also meant that Salman has not registered the biggest opening by an Indian film this year, trailing behind Mohanlal’s Malayalam thriller L2: Empuraan.
Sikandar worldwide box office day 1 collection
Even though Sikandar is Salman’s first Eid release in two years, the film did not break records with its advance booking. According to Sacnilk, its domestic collection was a lowly ₹26 crore net, lower than Chhaava’s ₹31 crore haul. On Monday morning, the film’s makers announced that Sikandar had earned ₹54 crore worldwide on its opening day. The figure is not befitting Salman Khan’s stature by any standard. For reference, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan had earned over twice as much – ₹109 crore- on its opening day in September 2023.
Bad reviews and negative word of mouth seem to have affected the film as it failed to see improvement in footfalls in the evening shows. Can Sikandar recover? That completely depends on how it performs on Monday – the Eid holiday.
How Sikandar lost to Empuraan
Sikandar grossed ₹54 crore worldwide on its day 1, which is just marginally ahead of Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava, which had made ₹47.25 crore when it debuted in February. Salman’s star power helped Sikandar cover the domestic gap in the overseas territory. However, the film has been no match for Mohanlal-starrer L2: Empuraan, which registered the highest opening for any Indian film this year just four days ago. Empuraan earned ₹67 crore worldwide on its first day, far beyond Sikandar’s reach.
Sikandar leaked online
Sikandar was leaked online by pirates on Saturday night, hours before it was to be released. Trade analyst Komal Nahta said the makers had authorities pull the film down from around 600 websites. The leak may also just hurt Sikandar’s box office prospects. “The producer had the authorities pull the film down from 600 sites last night, but the harm had been done. The multiplication continued and is still continuing. Condemnable act which could cost the producer of the Salman-starrer dear,” Nahta wrote.
All about Sikandar
Sikandar, directed by AR Murugadoss, marks Salman’s return to the big screen for the first time since 2023. The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, and Sharman Joshi in pivotal roles. It released in theatres on March 30.
