The much-awaited Bollywood release ‘Sikandar’ featuring Salman Khan and Rashmika Mandanna marked its theatrical debut on Sunday, March 30th coinciding with the festivities of Eid. Despite the enormous pre-release hype surrounding the film, its box office collections on day one were underwhelming at Rs.35 crore. Expectations had been high, fueled by aggressive marketing and Salman Khan’s reputation for delivering big-budget crowd-pleasers during Eid. However, audience turnout fell short with the Hindi version achieving a modest occupancy of 23.47 percent, as reported by Sacnilk. Comparatively, ‘Chhaava’, led by Vicky Kaushal, exceeded expectations on opening day and Salman’s past hit ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ outshined ‘Sikandar’ on its first day. While ‘Sikandar’ did surpass the Rs 15 crore debut of ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, its overall performance failed to match the grandeur anticipated by fans and critics alike. To add to the challenges, the film faced setbacks due to piracy concerns as an HD version was leaked online hours before its official release reportedly impacting ticket sales. Recent updates also suggest some theaters have cancelled screenings due to minimal audience turnout reflecting a disappointing start for this highly promoted release.
