Dangal day 1 box office collection: Film becomes Aamir Khan's 2nd biggest opener; fails to beat Sultan's record

Aamir Khan's Dangal, which received a thunderous response in theatres on Friday, December 23, has collected a massive amount at the Indian box office on its first day. The film has become the second biggest opener of 2016 after Sultan, and also the second biggest opener of Aamir after Dhoom 3 (2013).

Released in over 4,300 screens in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, Dangal has collected Rs 29.78 crore nett at the domestic market on its opening day. "#Dangal wrestles demonetisation... Sets the BO on fire... Ends the lull phase... Fri ₹ 29.78 cr [incl ₹ 59 lacs from Tamil and Telugu]," Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.

The film has failed to beat the opening day box office collection record of this year's biggest opener Sultan, which raked in Rs 36.54 crore as well as Aamir's Dhoom 3, which had collected Rs 36.22 crore nett at the Indian box office on the first day.

Dangal special screening| Dangal movie stills

Trade experts had predicted that Dangal will have a terrific start at the box office and will register a big number on its opening day. The film has received overwhelming response from critics and audience alike. The positive word-of-mouth of movie-lovers, who watched the film in the morning shows on Friday, is expected to take the film's business higher over the weekend.

Dangal had been creating a massive buzz, considering it marks the return of Mr.Perfectionist of Bollywood after a gap of two years. Also, the story, which is based on the real life Haryana wrestler Mahavir Phogat, and the film promotions have raised the curiosity among the movie-goers.

Meanwhile, the Nitesh Tiwari directorial has witnessed a great opening at the overseas box office. It was released in close to 1,000 screens and is the widest release in North America, UAE-GCC, UK, Australia. It has raked in Rs 2.21 crore in US and Canada on its opening day on Wednesday, December 23. In Middle East regions and UK, the film collected Rs 4.62crore and Rs 98.67lakh, respectively.

With this huge collection on the opening day, Dangal will surely break a few box office records in the first week itself. Also, since it has released during the Christmas and New Year time, it is likely to enjoy a good run for the next fortnight or so.

Dangal is inspired by the real-life struggles of popular Haryana wrestler Mahavir Phogat, (played by Aamir) and his daughters Geeta Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (played by Sanya Malhotra), who fulfil their father's dream of winning the gold medal for India. 

Biggest openers of 2016: