Countdown to Tubelight begins: Will Salman Khan continue his unprecedented run?

Very rarely does the industry get to witness the kind of run that Salman Khan is in at the moment. But that record is even more splendid if we look at his Eid releases in the last 7 years. 

It all began with the release of ‘Wanted’ in 2009, a film that did well at single-screens and smaller centres, but failed to impress the multiplex audience. It was during this time that the gap between Aamir Khan and the rest was widening with films like ‘Ghajini’ and ‘3 Idiots’ becoming the first 100 and 200 crore grossers.

Then came the movie that changed everything. Dabangg in 2010 went on to smash opening records and marked the beginning of an unprecedented run at the box office – the likes of which the industry has probably never seen before.

With the release of the teaser poster of Salman’s 2017 Eid release ‘Tubelight’, check out what the megastar has achieved from his last 6 Eid releases:

• Wanted (61 crore): Massive hit at single-screens, audience return to theatres to watch Salman films. His television stint helps.
• Dabangg (141 crore): Bumper opening. Surpasses ‘Ghajini’ to become the 2nd highest grosser of all time. Salman creates the Eid weekend, plans to make it his own.
• Bodyguard (145 crore): Outstanding opening. Becomes the first film to collect 100 crore in a week (7 days).
• Ek Tha Tiger (199 crore): Earth shattering opening, crosses 100 crore in just 5 days. Challenges 3 Idiots, but falls just short.
• Kick (233 crore): Opens to excellent numbers inspite of Ramzan release (Pre Eid), becomes the first Salman Khan film to collect 200 crore.
• Bajrangi Bhaijaan (321 crore): Sensing that the audience is bored of ‘masala’ films, Salman opts for a human story with emotions – which results in one of the biggest grossers of all time, again (like Ek Tha Tiger) falls just short of an Aamir-Hirani film, increases Salman’s credibility, fan base continues to grow.
• Sultan (301 crore): Decimates every opening, weekend and first week records. Sultan becomes the fastest film to 200 crore and Salman’s fourth consecutive 200 crore grosser. Second consecutive 300 crore grosser during Eid. It’s unprecedented craze and stardom.
• Tubelight: The euphoria around Salman and Eid has reached such a stage where anything less than 250 crore will look like an outright under-performer. More so when he reunites with the director who gave him one of his career’s most loved films in Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The expectations, both from the trade and the audience, will be at an all-time high. It’s once again going to be a film that has human emotions. Will Salman and Kabir Khan deliver yet another blockbuster?