Where’s the box-office bang?

Dunki

It was an eventful run-up to what was being touted as the clash of the year. Fans picked their side, there were long-running negotiations over screen division. And yet, as the big day arrived, Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki and Prabhas' Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire found themselves sharing a common aspect - a mixed audience response. Khan's final release of 2023, coming after two blockbusters in Pathaan and Jawan, scored a Rs 28 crore opening. The average opening isn't worrisome as it hit the marquee on a non-holiday. What is worrisome, however, is that Rajkumar Hirani's directorial venture hasn't impressed the audiences as much as his past gems did. Rajasthan-based exhibitor Raj Bansal says, "The audience was expecting a much better film from Shah Rukh and Rajkumar Hirani. It has fallen short of their expectations."

The same appears to be the case with the Hindi dubbed version of Prashanth Neel's action fare that has earned approximately R15 crore on its opening day. Bansal says the audience is criticising the dark colour grading of the Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer. "Both the films have got mixed response. We had thought that they would run till Fighter arrives in cinemas, but a long run doesn't seem possible now." However, team Salaar can celebrate as the film, originally released in Telugu, is enjoying a strong run in the south territories.

Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Cinemas and Maratha Mandir, says that because of the power tussle between the two movies' teams, bookings began late at the single screens, causing a loss to exhibitors. "Producers need to understand that had they opened the advance bookings earlier, there would have been more [ticket sales]. We got permission to open Dunki only after 8 pm on Thursday. Right now, we are getting equal bookings for both films," he says.

Dunki's opening seems to have been affected by lack of showcasing in single screens. Bansal says the dramedy has to perform incredibly well over the weekend to ensure a hit verdict. "The collections have to be higher than the opening. I don't buy the theory that Dunki opened [on the lower side] because it was a drama. A well-made Dunki would have done over Rs 500-crore business."

Salaar takes south by storm

Prabhas and director Prashanth Neel have much to celebrate. Their action fare, originally released in Telugu, is projected to have amassed about Rs 100 crore in the south territories on its opening day. With this, Salaar becomes Prabhas' biggest post-pandemic opener, after the disappointments of Adipurush and Radhe Shyam.