Salman Khan has always been a superstar. However, it was Dabangg that started it all, especially after the phase when he was not delivering biggies.
And then came the Prabhudeva directed Wanted which proved to be a shot in the arm for the actor. But for Khan, there has been no looking back since Dabangg. That film was his debut in the Rs 100 crore club and its sequel Dabangg 2 did even better. He has since delivered 14 centuries.
For this reason, there were good hopes from Dabangg 3 as well. One did not expect an opening in the Rs 35-40 crore range, but since the film caters to the masses with classes as the added bonus, something close to Rs 30 crore was expected.
After all, there was no competition from the week before or alongside the release date and the stage was thus set for the film to open well. But this has not been the case since Dabangg 3 had an opening of Rs 24.40 crore.
This is a good number, given that hardly any films open better than Rs 20 crore, but it is lower than what a Salman Khan-starrer warrants.
Yes, there has been a lack of optimal footfalls due to the prevailing tense situation in the country. But, with the kind of big releases the Salman Khan-starrer managed, a higher number was on the cards.
Hopefully, the numbers will improve on December 21 and 22 as the protests seem to have eased out. It would be a far better positioning for the film if it comes close to Rs 30 crore at least by December 22.
Meanwhile, Mardaani 2 had a decent first week at the box office. The film managed to collect Rs 28.05 crore - a fair enough number considering that there wasn't much hype or buzz around its arrival.
It was the word of mouth that did the trick for the film over the weekend when it saw good growth. Though weekdays could have been better than what they were given the positive reviews and word of mouth.
However, the good news is that the franchise has seen some growth. The first week is better than that of Mardaani which had brought in Rs 23 crore.
For Rani Mukerji too, it is a good personal record as her Hichki saw Rs 26.10 crore first-week collections and now Mardaani 2 has surpassed that.
The film has seen a reduction of screens in its second week due to the arrival of Dabangg 3 and may thus also not manage to cover the distance it actually deserved. Still, it is a success nonetheless, which is remarkable.
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