The spy thriller, which opens in over 4,500 screens in India today, has already set a record — having sold 4.88 lakh tickets till Tuesday evening, it has surpassed Hrithik Roshan’s War (2019) to register the highest advance-ticket sales for a Hindi film.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh terms it an endorsement of the superstardom of Khan, who returns to the big screen after over four years.
“We had a disastrous 2022. So, this [kind of opening] will not only benefit Shah Rukh or Yash Raj Films, but everyone who has worked on the film. Despite it being a working Wednesday, the film could open at Rs 45-50 crore,” he shares.
One of the most heartening takeaways from the Pathaan fever is the reopening of several single-screen theatres that had shut shop over the last few years.
While Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham maintained a low profile, the superstar’s fans took the onus of promoting his release.