Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna during the trailer launch of ‘Sikandar’
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Salman Khan-starrer Sikandar, one of the highly-anticipated Eid releases, opened with domestic net box office collections of ₹30.6 crore on Sunday, which was lower than expectations. The film is one of the first big-budget flicks to hit screens this year and has come at a time when the industry is betting on a resurgence in Hindi movie collections after a particularly muted 2024.
In a post on X, trade analyst Taran Adarsh said that while the movie performed well on its opening day, it fell short compared to the star’s previous opening days. “Given post-pandemic trends for highly-anticipated films, an opening day of ₹40 crore+ was expected from #SalmanKhan this time… Collecting this number was even more crucial, considering #Sikandar had the biggest release ever for a #Hindi film in #India – 5,500 screens/approximately 22,000+ shows per day. (sic),” he stated. He noted that despite being released on a Sunday the movie does not feature in Khan’s top-five opening days list.
Analysts are expecting the film to see higher collections starting Monday. “With over ₹30 crore already in, the film is riding high on excitement. Today’s Eid festivities are expected to drive a massive surge in collections, pushing Sikandar closer to the ₹50-crore mark. The audience’s response has been phenomenal, with packed theatres, electrifying cheers, and an overwhelming demand for shows,” said Gautam Dutta, CEO-Revenue & Operations, PVR INOX Ltd.
The action drama film is directed by A R Murgadoss and produced by Sajid Nadidwala and features Rashmika Mandanna among others.
Karan Taurani, Senior Vice-President, Elara Capital noted mixed reviews for the film. “ We expect the film to do about ₹200-250 crore in lifetime net box office revenue, which is reasonable, given that the Hindi movie segment saw a muted 2024. While concerns about the Hindi movies’ performance at the box office remain, this year we have several big-ticket movies and franchises lined up. So, there are expectations that this calendar year for the Hindi box office could be better versus last year,” Taurani stated.
Hindi cinema gross box office collections declined by 13 per cent from ₹5,380 in 2023 to ₹4,679 crore in 2024 as per estimates by Ormax Media.
Published on March 31, 2025