The very fact that films like Chennai Express and Ek Tha Tiger have managed to collect 30 crore or more on a single day at the domestic box office alone, is staggering. Most medium-budget films struggle to collect 30 crore in their entire theatrical run, even a few major releases starring A-List superstars have failed to cross 30 crore in the first 3 days.
For records, getting the timing of the release right is crucial. If the opening day is not a holiday, it is almost impossible for the 30 crore barrier to be breached. While Dhoom 3 later this year might just about manage to change that, there was a time, not too long ago, when a film earning Rs 5 crore on a single day was a big deal.
Single Day Records
Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish in 2006 was the first film to collect Rs 5 crore on a single day. Two years later, Aamir Khan’s Ghajini collected more than 10 crores to become the first film in history to net 10 crore in one day, something that was unheard of before.
Then, a year later, Dabangg came and conquered the box office. Since then, its been all Salman. Bodyguard shattered box office records with 20.6 crore on its opening day, a year later Ek Tha Tiger became the first film to do 30 crores of business.
Single day milestones:
- 5 crore – Krrish (Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra)
- 10 crore – Ghajini (Aamir Khan, Asin)
- 15 crores – Dabangg (Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha)
- 20 crores – Bodyguard (Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor)
- 25 crores – Ek Tha Tiger (Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif)
- 30 crores – Ek Tha Tiger (Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif)
Coming to the highest single day collections, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan dominate the list taking as many as 8 slots in the Top 10. What’s also worth mentioning is the fact that the Eid / Independence day weekend has been huge for the industry. Both Chennai Express and Ek Tha Tiger were Eid releases. While most records were created on a holiday, the only film to make it to the Top 10 on a working day is Salman’s Dabangg 2.
Highest Single Day Collections – Top 10
- Chennai Express – 33.12 crore (first day)
- Ek Tha Tiger - 32.92 crores (first day)
- Chennai Express – 32.5 crore (third day)
- Chennai Express - 28.06 crore (second day)
- Dabangg 2 – 25 crore (third day)
- Ra One – 24.3 crore (second day, all versions)
- Ek Tha Tiger – 23.06 crore (fifth day)
- Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani – 22.5 crore (third day)
- Agneepath – 21.9 crore (first day)
- Dabangg 2 – 21 crore (first day, non-holiday)
Note: Unless mentioned, all the above days were National holidays or Sundays. The second day of Chennai Express was a holiday in parts of the country.
It’ll be interesting to see how this list changes with the release of Besharam, Krrish 3 and Dhoom 3 – all of which release during the holiday season this year.