Dabangg 3: Will there be 'Salmania' at the box office?

Film poster of Dabangg 3

Film trade experts believe that Salman Khan has the power to pull big crowds to the theatres for his films on the opening day.

While it stands true for his previous releases like Bharat and Tiger Zinda Hai, that opened at Rs 41 crore and Rs 31 crore respectively, things could be different for his new venture Dabangg 3.

According to film trade and business analyst, Girish Johar, the film could open anywhere between Rs 25 crore and Rs 30 crore. This would be marginally lower than what his last December release – Tiger Zinda Hai – had earned on day one.

In addition, the ongoing unrest in the country due to protests against the Citizenship Act could impact the box office collections of the film.

“Dabangg 3 has seen a good start barring a few cities, where the protests are taking place. I expect a 5-10 percent dent at the box office in those particular pockets,” Johar said.

The advance bookings for the film have also taken a hit because of the protests.

Besides, the advanced plans for Dabangg 3 opened fully only on December 18, which has resulted in lower pre-booking traction. Reports suggest that the film was able to earn around Rs 5-6 crore in pre-bookings as of Wednesday. Tiger Zinda Hai had picked up in the range of Rs 10 - 12 crore in advance.

Also, whether the film will go beyond Rs 200 crore depends on the traction the film sees in the first week of its release. After its week-1, Salman's Dabangg 3 will have to compete with Akshay Kumar’s Good Newwz; and after that, January 10 has strong content line-up including Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak, Rajinikanth-starrer Darbar and Ajay Devgn’s Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior.

“There is a line-up of releases back-to-back which may prove to be a speed breaker for Dabangg 3 at the box office. Good Newwz is also tracking well. Three big films are due to be released on January 10, and this may slow down the film’s (Dabangg 3) pace at the box office," Johar said.

Yet, Johar remains confident about the film, especially because of its star cast.

“Salman’s fan base is huge. His kind of cinema is massy and entertaining. It comes under the paisa vasool category and Dabangg 3 is right up his alley. He is the action guy. His films become a family outing. Unlike his previous films, Dabangg 3 is a more solid franchise,” he said.

Johar told Moneycontrol that the third installment of Dabangg features the south biggie Kichcha Sudeep, which will definitely click with the audiences down south. The film has been dubbed in other languages as well. This will making him (Salman)  popular in more areas specifically the south.”

The film has released in four languages – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada – and in as many as 3,500 screens in all versions.