Pathaan: After break, Shah Rukh Khan is ready to break records

Shah Rukh Khan

In the final moments of Pathaan's teaser, Shah Rukh Khan says, "Kursi ki peti baandh lo," hinting at a dizzying ride ahead. Well, the ride has begun, and if the advance bookings are any indication, the superstar's legion of fans have signed up for it. The spy thriller, which opens in over 4,500 screens in India today, has already set a record - having sold 4.88 lakh tickets till Tuesday evening, it has surpassed Hrithik Roshan's War (2019) to register the highest advance-ticket sales for a Hindi film.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh terms it an endorsement of the superstardom of Khan, who returns to the big screen after over four years. "We had a disastrous 2022. So, this [kind of opening] will not only benefit Shah Rukh or Yash Raj Films, but everyone who has worked on the film. Despite it being a working Wednesday, the film could open at Rs 45-50 crore," he shares.

Rajasthan-based distributor Raj Bansal says the actioner has the potential to revive the Hindi film industry, after the three-year slump. "We are getting an unbelievable number of enquiries. We will release the film in 90-plus theatres in Rajasthan."

One of the most heartening takeaways from the Pathaan fever is the reopening of several single-screen theatres that had shut shop over the last few years. Bansal adds, "Almost 50 to 70 single-screen theatres have been revived. In Rajasthan alone, we are reviving 10 to 12 movie halls." Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan states that Siddharth Anand's directorial venture can appeal to the multiplex viewers as well as audiences in Tier-3 and 4 towns.

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"If you make such films, cinemas in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar will spring up. Bollywood [needs to] make big-scale films, the way south Indian films do. Pathaan is the kind of film that works with the masses. If the word of mouth is good, we are looking at a potential Rs 500-crore film," says Chauhan.

While Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham maintained a low profile, the superstar's fans took the onus of promoting his release. Jatin Gupta reveals that SRK Universe, the actor's biggest fan club, has organised 200 first-day-first-show screenings. He adds, "On January 26, we have organised a special show for the Delhi Police."

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4.5K
Number of screens in India the film is opening at

Rs 45-50 cr
The film's estimated first-day collections