Salman Khan’s highly anticipated film Sikandar was released in cinemas on Sunday, just a day before Eid 2025. However, the film faced a setback soon after its release as it became a victim of online piracy. Despite this, the enthusiasm of Salman’s fans remained unaffected, as crowds gathered in theatres to watch him return to action after two years. The excitement among the audience was evident, with long queues outside cinemas and loud cheers for Salman’s grand entry on screen.
Rashmika Mandanna as the Lead Actress
Salman Khan returned to the big screen after a gap of one and a half years. His last film, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, was released in 2023. With Sikandar, Salman is collaborating for the first time with director AR Murugadoss. The film also stars South Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna, who has been delivering back-to-back box office blockbusters. After Pushpa 2, Animal, and Chhava, this could be her fourth blockbuster film.
What is the Box Office Collection?
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the first-day box office collection of Sikandar has been revealed. As per early estimates, the film earned ₹17.52 crore across all languages in India on its opening day. This data includes advance bookings till 9 PM. However, these figures might change, and estimates suggest that the film’s total first-day earnings could be around ₹20 crore.
A Tough Challenge for Salman’s Own Record
Sikandar had an overall Hindi occupancy rate of 20.95%, with evening shows recording up to 25% occupancy. As the day progressed, ticket sales were expected to rise. The film had over 8,000 screenings across India in Hindi. However, Sikandar faces the challenge of surpassing the opening-day collection of Salman’s previous film Tiger 3, which earned ₹44.5 crore on its first day. Despite the strong start, Tiger 3 had an underwhelming overall performance, grossing ₹464 crore worldwide against a reported budget of ₹300 crore.
Clash with Mohanlal’s Film
One of the key factors affecting Sikandar’s box office performance is its direct competition with Mohanlal’s Malayalam film L2: Empuraan, which has already earned ₹57.59 crore within four days of release. It remains to be seen how Sikandar will perform in the coming days at the box office.