Salman Khan starrer action, comedy and romantic movie "Dabangg 2" released on a non-holiday Friday has broken the first-day record at the domestic box office.
It is Arbaaz Khan's debut directorial film and was released on Friday across more than 3,500 screens in India and 450 screens at overseas box offices.
"Dabangg 2," also starring Sonakshi Sinha in the female lead role, received mixed to negative reviews from critics, but the first-day collection has shattered previous records. As per early estimates, it raked in more than ₹ 20 crore at the domestic box office. However, the final figure is not yet revealed.
The movie has emerged as the biggest opener ever for a non-holiday Friday release, breaking the record of Akshay Kumar's "Rowdy Rathore."
"As per *early estimates* #Dabangg2 Fri seems 20 cr to 21 cr nett. Biggest opener for non-holiday... Of course, the final total could vary," trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh tweeted.
"#Dabangg2 1st day will be lower than #EkThaTiger 1st day [15 Aug holiday]. ETT Day 2 was much lower [14.55 cr], since it was a working day," Adarsh said adding, "Biggest opener [holiday] #EkThaTiger 32.92 cr ... Biggest opener [non-holiday] #RowdyRathore 15.1 cr ... #Dabangg2 is non-holiday opener."
Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer action film "Rowdy Rathore" was released on a non-holiday Friday in June. It became the biggest opening ever in Bollywood with a whopping ₹ 15.1 crore.
Salman Khan's previous movie, "Ek Tha Tiger," was released on Aug. 15 during Independence Day and Eid. It raked in ₹ 32.92 crore in India on the opening day and emerged as the biggest opener ever in Bollywood.
The morning shows of "Dabangg 2," especially in North India, received a tremendous response. Distributors and trade analysts are expecting it to become a blockbuster film.
"Dabangg 2" is the sequel to Salman's 2010 blockbuster "Dabangg." Apart from the two big stars, it also features Vinod Khanna, Arbaaz Khan, Prakash Raj, Deepak Dobriyal, Sandeepa Dhar and Nikitan Dheer in supporting roles.
Also Read:'Dabangg 2' Earns ₹39 Crore in Two Days at Domestic Box Office
