Sikandar box office Day 1: Piracy hits Salman Khan’s film, opens at Rs 26 crore

Salman Khan’s Sikandar hit the theatres on Sunday, a day before the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in the country, bringing some cheer to cinema halls.

The film, directed by AR Murugadoss, managed to secure the biggest opening of 2025, according to early estimates. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Sikandar’s box office collection on Day 1 was recorded at Rs 26 crore. The film achieved an overall Hindi occupancy of 21.60 per cent, with the maximum footfall coming during the evening shows. The Salman Khan-led film remained strong in Mumbai and the National Capital Region (NCR).

In Mumbai, the film had 21.50 per cent occupancy across approximately 1,381 shows, while in NCR, it recorded 21.75 per cent occupancy across around 1,894 shows. The film is expected to witness a surge in its box office collection on Monday as the country celebrates Eid.

However, compared to Salman’s previous release, Tiger 3, which was also released on a Sunday, Sikandar had a subpar opening at the ticket counters. Tiger 3 minted Rs 44.5 crore on its first day. However, the YRF spy thriller had an underwhelming run in theatres, earning only Rs 282.79 crore in India.

Trade experts believe Salman Khan is in dire need of a hit film. “Salman has to deliver the numbers. The pressure is there. Rs 100 aur 200 crores se kaam nahin chalega (It isn’t enough to deliver Rs 100 or Rs 200 crore),” trade analyst Taran Adarsh told Bollywood Hungama.

Before Tiger 3, Salman failed to deliver a blockbuster with films like Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (Rs 184.6 crore worldwide), the 2021 film Antim (Rs 58.5 crore worldwide), and Radhe (Rs 18.33 crore worldwide).

Besides the low turnout in theatres, Salman’s Sikandar might also bear the brunt of piracy. The film was leaked online hours before its theatrical release, and trade expert Komal Nahta suggested that this would affect its box office earnings.

Nahta spoke to news agency ANI and said, “I got to know late last night that it had been leaked. This morning I spoke to seven-eight people from the trade. They said yes, it had happened. And then I also got to know that Sajid Nadiadwala and the authorities took the film down from thousands of sites.

But by then, the damage was done because people had downloaded it on their mobiles. So it is very sad. It will affect the collections a lot. The film is not extraordinary, and if people have got the film on their phones, then why will they go to the cinemas? At least 30 to 40 per cent of the business has been lost because of this.”

Sikandar, also starring Rashmika Mandanna, Sathyaraj, Kajal Aggarwal, and Sharman Joshi, among others, is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala.