Salman Khan's 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' remains biggest opener till date

Salman Khan-starrer Sultan, which hit screens on the eve of Eid, has minted R36.54 crore at the box office on the opening day. While these numbers are the best for any Bollywood release this year, they fell short of the first day collections of the star's last release, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Rs 40.35 crore).

Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma in a still from Sultan

With a screen count of 4,350, the wrestling drama was expected to cross the R40-crore mark yesterday. Theatres across the country had registered 90 to 100 per cent occupancy. However, with Eid arriving a day late, the business was marginally hit.

A serpentine queue outside Gaiety Cinema, Bandra, on Wednesday afternoon. Pic/Datt Kumbhar

Trade pundits are optimistic that the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed film will gross R150 crore by this weekend. Komal Nahta labelled the figures "excellent" while saying that the impact in Muslim centres had been weak. Taran Adarsh said, "After a lingering lull at the box office, Sultan has come as a huge relief to the industry. It is doing extraordinarily well."