Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has outdone himself, with Tiger 3 scoring his biggest opening day ever, as well as a new record for the top-grossing Diwali Day in the history of Hindi cinema. From Yash Raj Films, the latest in producer Aditya Chopra’s YRF Spy Universe grossed an estimated 94 crore ($11.35M) globally this weekend, including 52.5 crore ($6.3M) in India.
While the actioner that also stars Katrina Kaif debuted in some markets on Saturday, it officially opened on Sunday in India, timed to Diwali Day (aka Laxmi Pooja) which can typically be soft for moviegoing. However, the India gross on Sunday, per Yash Raj, is a record for the holiday. It also had the top overseas opening day (including paid previews).
Further, it’s the biggest opening day of the main Tiger franchise which includes previous titles Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017). Spinoffs include War (2019) with Hrithik Roshan, and the Shah Rukh Khan-led Pathaan which released earlier this year and is the No. 2 biggest Hindi-language film of all time in India.
The India bow also marked the third best start of the year in the market for a Hindi movie, coming in behind SRK’s Jawan and Pathaan. At the North American box office, Tiger 3 grossed an estimated $2.25M, landing in the Top 10 for the frame.
Directed by Maneesh Sharma, Tiger 3 sees Khan reprise the role of Indian spy Avinash Singh ‘Tiger’ Rathore. This time around, he’s framed as a traitor, and goes on a life-threatening crusade to clear his and his family’s name. Kaif returns as Zoya Humaimi, the former ISI agent and Tiger’s wife. Emraan Hashmi plays villain Aatish Rehman. Tiger 3 also features cameos by Shah Rukh Khan as Pathaan and Hrithik Roshan as Kabir from War.
We expect higher numbers today and tomorrow as the holiday continues and will update accordingly.