Hyderabad: 

Salman Khan's highly anticipated Eid release of 2025, Sikandar, directed by A.R. Murugadoss, finally hit theatres on March 30, 2025. Apart from Salman, the film features Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, and Sharman Joshi. There had been hopes that the film would bring Salman Khan back to the helm of box office success, but Sikandar opened to a disappointing domestic collection of Rs 26 crore, even on the holiday.

Sikandar's Underwhelming Performance at the Box Office

The earnings placed it amongst the lowest opening day collections for any Eid release for the superstar in a decade, with the only exception of Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, which released in 2023. For instance, Tiger 3 (2023) opened to Rs 43 crore, Bharat (2019) collected Rs 42.30 crore, and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015) earned Rs 40.35 crore. In fact, even Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) had a better first-day collection at Rs 34.10 crore. All of these previous films, except Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, which opened at only Rs 13.5 crore, flared better than Sikandar.

Sikandar Box Office Day 1 Collection

Trade analysts had forecasted an expected opening collection, especially for Salman Khan, in the bracket of Rs 40-45 crore, given his prior successes on Eid. However, the Sunday release plan backfired, with the film opening at Rs 26 crore in the domestic market. The film registered an overall Hindi occupancy of 21.60 percent, with the highest turn around of 25 percent during evening shows.

Online Leak and Its Consequences

On top of all of this, Sikandar was leaked online just hours before being released, adding to the film's woes. Trade analyst Komal Nahta informed that Sikandar illegally popped up on almost 600 websites hampering its revenue. The authorities responded swiftly to get these posts taken down, however, the damage had been done.

Sikandar Reviews

To add fuel to the fire, reviews from critics as well as audiences have been mixed. With Eid weekend kicked off, Sikandar still has a chance coming out of it, but it won't be easy. It relies on good word of mouth and good weekdays. If it doesn't gain traction, Sikandar will be another of Salman's films to let down.

Comparison with Chhaava and L2: Empuraan

In contrast with its contemporaries, Sikandar's performance is only worse. Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava opened to Rs 31 crore, which is Rs 5 crore ahead of Sikandar and Mohanlal's Empuraan set the record as the highest opening this year for an Indian film with Rs 67 crore worldwide opening day, which is over 10 crore more than Sikandar's Rs 54 crore worldwide opening.

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