November 12 was a big day for cinema buffs in India as Salman Khan's Tiger 3 hit the silver screen. The fifth instalment of the YRF Spy Universe created a massive buzz on social media ahead of its release as fans were awaiting Shah Rukh Khan's cameo. On Day 1, Tiger 3 saw the biggest Bollywood opening during Diwali ever.
According to Sacnilk's early estimates, Tiger 3 crossed a whopping Rs 40 crore on its Day 1. The action-thriller earned Rs 44.50 crore on its opening day. The film saw an overall occupancy of 41.32 per cent and the highest occupancy rate was recorded at 46.18 per cent during night shows.
Tiger 3 occupancy rate on November 12, Hindi
- Morning shows: 36.55 per cent
- Afternoon shows: 42.73 per cent
- Evening shows: 39.82 per cent
- Night shows: 46.18 per cent
Even though the opening day totals are far from the all-India records set by two Shah Rukh Khan films earlier this year, Jawan made Rs 75 crore and Pathaan took in Rs 57 crore, the figures are astounding for Laxmi Puja day, which isn't exactly a box office favourite because people get busy with celebrations.
Tiger 3's first-day collection makes it the third-biggest Salman Khan opener after Ali Abbas Zafar's 2019 period drama Bharat (Rs 42.30 crore) and Sooraj Barjatya's 2015 family drama Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Rs 40.35 crore). Notably, both films were released during Diwali.
Recently, YRF revealed the strategy behind releasing such a big film on Diwali day, which is risky. The VP of distribution of YRF, Rohan Malhotra said, "This came to us for the simple reason that at the start of the year, we had a film like Pathaan. Had we followed the conventional way, we would have released the film on Republic Day, where we were definitely assured a certain number. But at YRF, we focused on the lifetime business of the film and we came a day earlier. It worked like a dream. We got insane numbers. It came from a simple belief that we had made a good film with a superstar, Shah Rukh Khan and Adi, and all of us at YRF believed in his stardom."
Also Read: Tiger 3 FIRST Review out: Fans declare Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif's film a blockbuster
