In the last few years, Aamir Khan films released around Christmas — such as PK, Dhoom: 3 and 3 Idiots — have gone on to become blockbusters. It seems his latest movie Dangal will join the list.
According to Disney India, which is backing the film, Dangal made Rs297.8 million (Dh16 million) on its opening day in India. This included Rs5.9 million from its Tamil and Telugu versions.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal is based on the real-life wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former Indian champion who trained his daughters Geeta and Babita in the sport.
There were worries about the film’s box-office performance being affected by the Indian government’s demonetisation move, but the film has started off on a strong note.
Dangal also made a good opening on BookMyShow, an online ticketing platform, as it contributed 33 per cent to the movie’s total day one collections at the Indian box office, according to a statement.
The movie witnessed approximately 40 per cent more advance bookings on the platform for the opening week as compared to other blockbusters this year.