Advance Dunki’s Box Office Performance: Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Shah Rukh Khan’s film is set for a ticket counter showdown against Prabhas’ Salaar.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Dunki witnessed the sale of nearly 38,000 tickets for 2836 Hindi shows on the first day of advance booking. Despite this promising start, the film is poised for a box office clash with Salaar, a pan-India action-packed venture by Prabhas and director Prashanth Neel, set to release on December 22. Salaar’s advance ticket sales, initiated on December 15, have also garnered an impressive sum of Rs 1.52 crore.
Bollywood luminary Shah Rukh Khan is gearing up for the launch of his third film this year, following the success of Pathaan and Jawan. Entitled Dunki, the movie, which marks the inaugural collaboration between Khan and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani, is scheduled to hit theaters on December 21. Advance ticket sales for the film commenced on Saturday, and within a day, the SRK-starrer has amassed Rs 1.36 crore.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, on the first day of advance booking, nearly 38,000 tickets for 2836 Hindi-language shows were sold.
Meanwhile, Prashanth Neel’s directorial Salaar is significantly outpacing Dunki in the overseas market. Film trade analyst Girish Johar shared the collections of both films at various locations on X, stating, “Advance Bookings Of #Prabhas’s #Salaar & #ShahRukhKhan’s #Dunki In Overseas so far… #BOTrends #BOTracking #BOEstimates
USA: #Salaar- $750k #Dunki- $185k
UK: #Salaar- £120k #Dunki- £70k
Aus/Nz: #Salaar- A$130k #Dunki- A$120k
Gulf: #Salaar- $80k #Dunki- $90k
Europe: #Salaar – $45k #Dunki – $65k
ROW: #Salaar – $30k.”
However, Dunki will encounter box office competition with Salaar, a pan-India action-packed film starring Prabhas and directed by Prashanth Neel, set to release on December 22. Salaar’s advance ticket sales, which commenced on December 15, have also garnered an impressive Rs 1.52 crore.
Film trade analyst Sumit Kadel shared on X that the next three days will provide a clearer picture of Dunki’s box office performance. He mentioned, “Dunki’s initial pre-sale starts on a remarkable note. The film has sold 10K+ tickets at national chain multiplexes, with non-national chains also showing good movement. If the momentum continues, Dunki may challenge the top films of 2023 in terms of final advance booking. The next 3 days will give a clear picture.
A box office clash is imminent on December 21 and 22 as Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki and Prabhas’ Salaar are set to release simultaneously. While advance ticket sales for both films are yet to commence in the domestic market, overseas bookings have already opened. Initial indications suggest that Salaar is expected to have a significantly stronger start overseas compared to Dunki, which is anticipated to trail by a substantial margin.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki has garnered a business of $566k, with $185k from North America, $68k from the UK, and $120k from Australia, as reported by Box Office Worldwide. According to a TOI report, in the US alone, the film has sold nearly 5400 tickets across 320 locations for 915 shows.
On Saturday, SRK urged his fans to book tickets for Dunki through his X handle, stating, “Before it reaches Hardy Cinemas… And all shows become houseful… Book your tickets! Because when Hardy and his friends arrive, everyone’s hearts will be captivated.”
In comparison to Jawan and Pathaan, Dunki has started slowly in terms of advance ticket sales. Jawan had achieved an impressive 2,00,454 tickets sold, totaling Rs 6.84 crore, in less than 24 hours after ticket sales went live. Similarly, Pathaan had sold nearly 1.17 lakh tickets on the first day of advance booking across the three national cinema chains, despite being available at limited venues.
Dunki features Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Vikram Kochhar, Anil Grover, and Boman Irani in pivotal roles. A week before its release, Dunki received approval from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The film underwent review on December 15 and obtained a U/A certificate, with a runtime of 2 hours and 41 minutes.