Top Laxmi Pooja Day Box Office: Salman Khan looks to do the unthinkable with Tiger 3; Eyes Diwali Day record

Salmania has started to grip the nation as the tickets of Tiger 3 are selling at a quick pace across the board – be it single screens or the national multiplex chains. Details

Written by Himesh Mankad , Journalist

Published on Nov 05, 2023 | 03:27 PM IST | 306.9K

Top Laxmi Pooja Day Box Office: Salman Khan looks to do the unthinkable with Tiger 3; Eyes Diwali Day record

The Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif-led Tiger 3 is set to be the first event spectacle in the last 10 years to see a theatrical release on the day of Diwali. The decision has been strategically taken by YRF with the hope of getting a strong word of mouth in place before getting into the extended holiday period from Monday. Historically, Diwali Day has proved to be a weak day for the box office with Laxmi Pooja impacting the business prospects after the noon shows in North India.

Tiger 3 is ready to set a new record on Diwali Day

The record of the biggest collection on Laxmi Pooja to date stands with the Hrithik Roshan-led Krrish 3 (2013), which clocked Rs 15 crore on Diwali day. One must note that Krrish 3 was a pre-Diwali Friday release with Laxmi Pooja on Sunday and has held the record for 10 long years, showing its hype back in the day. Several other films have faced Diwali through its weekend right from Ra. One to Housefull 4, Jab Tak Hai, Son of Sardaar, Shivaay, and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. 2012 saw a box office clash between Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Son Of Sardaar and the two films put together clocked Rs 22 crore on Diwali Day, which is a record aggregate number for the day. Come 2023, and Tiger 3 team has taken the bold decision of a Sunday release, and the early trends indicate that the decision will reap big returns by the day of release. It also proves that the YRF team has made a well-informed decision, knowing better than most others of what's the best for their product.

While a record Laxmi Pooja Day was always expected, Tiger 3 is headed to score new benchmarks on the day, and probably score a Diwali Day number that could stand tall in the history of record books for a while now. Salmania has started to grip the nation as the tickets are selling at a quick pace across the board – be it single screens or the national multiplex chains. India's leading national chain, PVRInox has sold almost 37,000 tickets for the opening day alone in less than 21 hours (as off 3 PM on Sunday), and there is already a movement in ticket sales for Monday & Tuesday. What’s encouraging is the fact that there are sales in evening and night shows too for Sunday, which is the earliest signal of something special happening on Sunday, though we are still a long way away. The strong markets of Salman Khan often come on board a feature film in big numbers on Sunday and expectedly so, these areas are showing great early signs.

The exhibitors from single screens are saying that the mass on-ground fan following of Salman Khan alongside the craze of Tiger Franchise & Spy Universe could eclipse the Diwali Impact to a certain extent, however, the biggest numbers will come in from Monday, when the holiday impact seeps in. The advance booking trend has indicated the arrival of a hot film during the Diwali period, which conventionally in the 90s and 2000s was the OG period of the film business, and what better than the OG Spy Tiger to bring back the light in the glorious festive period.

If everything goes as per the expectations, the advance booking of Tiger 3 for the Laxmi Pooja Day should be a record in itself as far as the film business on Laxmi Pooja is concerned.