After setting new records with his back-to-back blockbustersPathaanandJawan, the Indian superstarShah Rukh Khanwas hoping to complete a hat-trick of hits with his third and final release of the year,Dunki. But it would appear that the comedy drama, directed by the hit-makerRajkumar Hirani, isn’t quite performing to the same level as his earlier hits. On its first day of release worldwide — a Thursday —Dunkigrossed just under $7 million worldwide, $3.4 million of which came from its home country, India. By comparison,Pathaangrossed nearly $13 million worldwide on day one, whileJawangrossed $15.5 million on day one.
Dunkididn’t just have the burden of living up to the high benchmarks set by those films, it is also being released after a month-long rampage at the box office bythe controversialfilmAnimal. Directed bySandeep Reddy Vangaand starringRanbir Kapoor,Animalrecently joinedPathaanandJawanasthe third Indian film of the year to gross more than $100 million worldwide.
No other Indian star has ever delivered two films to have crossed the coveted milestone in the same calendar year, but the record-breaking success ofPathaan, which ended its global run with $130 million, andJawan, which grossed $138 million worldwide, proved thatSRK’s popularity is unmatchedacross the South Asian diaspora. BeforePathaanin January, the star hadn’t released a movie in over four years; he’d retreated into a self-imposed sabbatical following the critical and commercial failure of his 2018 film,Zero. UnlikePathaanandJawan, which are both flashy action films,Dunkiis tonally more in line with that infamous bomb. The movie deals with the pressing issue of illegal immigration, and follows a group of friends as they make a perilous journey from India to the United Kingdom.
‘Dunki’ Is Facing Competition in India from ‘Salaar’
Shah Rukh Khan’s 2023 Films
Global Box Office
Rotten Tomatoes Score
$130 million
$138 million
$7 million (in one day)
In India,Dunki’s opening day haul is actually lower than that delivered by director Hirani’s 2018 hit,Sanju. Two major factors are impacting the film’s performance; reviews forDunkihave been more mixed than either of SRK’s two previous films this year. The movie currently sits at a “rotten” 55% score on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes. But more pertinently, it’s facing off against the highly-anticipated action-thrillerSalaar, which was released on Friday. StarringPrabhas, the film is set to deliver the biggest opening day haul for an Indian film this year, with current estimates projecting a $21 million debut. you may watch theDunkitrailer here, and stay tuned to Collider for more box office updates over the weekend.
