Bollywood icon Salman Khan’s return to the screen after nearly seven months found welcome audiences at home as wrestling drama Sultan set a new 2016 benchmark opening day in India with 36.54 crore ($5.5M) on Wednesday. The one-day take tops Shah Rukh Khan’s Fan at No. 2 with 19.20 crore ($2.9M) and the current No. 1 Hindi movie of the year, Airlift, which bowed to 12.35 crore ($1.9M) back in January. It also bests Disney’s The Jungle Book which opened to $2.1M and has gone on to be the No. 1 movie overall in India this year as well as the biggest Hollywood movie ever there with a total $39M.
One of the most anticipated films to come from Bollywood in some time, Sultannevertheless did not smash Khan’s own all-time opening record. That was set by his last picture, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo which bowed on a Thursday in November last year to 40.35 crore ($6.1M).
Sultan is now the No. 2 opening day ever for the major box office draw and has been met by positive reviews at home. It will run unfettered over the current Eid holiday weekend and has a clear path ahead of it in the next few weeks. It is expected to land among the top international grossers this frame.