Bollywood’s biggest superstar Shah Rukh Khan‘s latest film, Dunki, hasn’t exactly set the box office on fire. In fact, its opening day collections couldn’t even match the much-talked-about flop, Adipurush, starring Prabhas!
Let’s rewind. Remember Adipurush? The one with the controversial CGI and shaky story? Well, despite all the negative buzz, it raked in a whopping ₹130 crore (gross) worldwide on its opening day! And from just the Hindi version, it collected close to ₹45 crore (gross).
Now, back to Dunki. This Rajkumar Hirani directorial, featuring the ever-charming SRK, managed to earn only around ₹38 crore (gross) in the Hindi region on Day 1. That’s almost ₹7 crore less than Adipurush’s Hindi collection! Globally, Dunki’s Day 1 earnings are estimated to be around ₹58 crore (gross), which sounds impressive, but it pales in comparison to Adipurush’s Day 1 thunder.
So, what’s going on? Why is Dunki, with its superstar cast and acclaimed director, struggling to catch up with a film that was declared a flop even before its release?
There could be a few reasons. First, Adipurush had a massive hype built around it thanks to its epic Ramayana storyline. Even the negative buzz created curiosity, leading to higher footfalls on Day 1. Dunki, on the other hand, has a more subtle story and might be taking some time to attract audiences.
Second, competition! Dunki faced tough competition from Salaar, another big-budget film starring Prabhas. Salaar opened to strong numbers, particularly in South India, further impacting Dunki’s box office performance.
And finally, let’s not forget the general economic slowdown. With rising costs and limited budgets, people might be choosing to cut back on entertainment expenses, even for Shah Rukh Khan films.
It’s still too early to pronounce Dunki a flop. The weekend and holiday season might see a surge in its collections. But the underwhelming Day 1 figures definitely raise some questions about the film’s potential and the current state of the Hindi film industry.
One thing’s for sure, though: Bollywood‘s King Khan still holds immense power at the box office. Dunki might not have reached Adipurush’s Day 1 numbers, but its journey has only just begun. Let’s wait and see if it can turn things around and find its own path to box office success.