Salman Khan's Sultan has done in 2 days what most other films in 2016 have managed to do in their lifetime run. With Rs. 37.20 crore more coming on Thursday (partial holiday on Eid), the film has now collected around Rs. 73.74 crore. With this, the film has now gone past lifetime total of films like Udta Punjab [Rs. 59.57 crore] and Ki & Ka [Rs. 52.31 crore] in less than 2 days. In fact while you read this, the film has also gone past Kapoor & Sons [73.29 crore], Neerja [75.61 crore] and Baaghi [76.34 crore].
By afternoon, Fan [Rs. 84.10 crore] would be crossed as well and Housefull 3 [Rs. 108.71 crore] would be surpassed by tomorrow morning. It may be a touch and go but chances are that Airlift [128.1 crore] would be crossed by tomorrow night. However, even if that doesn't happen by then, it is certainly on the cards before afternoon shows commence on Sunday.
Net net, Sultan would be the highest grosser of 2016 in four, or a little over four days, and that is an unbelievable feat for the Yash Raj Films production, especially considering the current times when Bollywood hasn't really been on its best show right through the year.
Yesterday, there was some murmur around the film not quite touching the 40 crore mark on the day of its release. Yes, everyone in the trade predicted and estimated that this was pretty on the cards. Eventually, there was a 10% difference between what was predicted [Rs. 40 crore+] and what eventually came in [Rs. 36.54 crore]. However, the fact remains that for a smaller movie where a prediction may have been, say Rs. 10 crore, an eventual deviation of 10% would have just meant a sum total of Rs. 9 crore, which would haven't seemed too way off.
It is Salman's power that a film's prediction hits the roof and hence a deviation, in-spite of being just 10%, comes across as way too high. Moreover, from a film's fortunes perspective (especially when it has been liked/loved), nothing really changes even if the first day is 4 crore behind prediction on the first day. After all, Bajrangi Bhaijaan opened at Rs. 27.25 crore and went on to nett Rs. 320.34 crore in its lifetime!!
