Salman Khan, Race 3
Salman Khan in Race 3Twitter

Remo D'Souza's Race 3 starring Salman Khan opened to fantastic response and made record collection at the domestic box office on the first day. It has become the biggest opener of 2018.

Race film series is one of most successful Indian film franchises and Salman Khan association with it had doubled hype, curiosity and expectations from its third installment. The distributors released Race 3 in 4200 screens in the domestic market to cater to massive demand and cash in on Sallu mania. The hype surrounding it helped the movie register decent advance booking.

The Salman Khan starrer debuted with superb response with its occupancy of over 70 percent in the cinema halls across the country on the first day. The third installment of the Race franchise ran to packed houses in some centres. Race 3 has collected Rs 29.17 crore net at the domestic box office on the first day.

Taran Adarsh tweeted, "#Race3 records a GIGANTIC START, despite pre-Eid making a dent in its business... Emerges the BIGGEST OPENER of 2018 [so far]... Fri ₹ 29.17 cr. India biz... With #Eid festivities commencing today [Sat], #Race3 is expected to post MASSIVE NUMBERS."

Race 3 has become the biggest opener from the Race franchise. The film has turned fourth biggest opener for Salman after Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai and Sultan. The movie has also beaten the records of Baagi and Padmaavat to become the biggest opener of the year.

In pics: Salman Khan disappoints in Race 3: Hilarious memes go viral on social media

However, the makers of the hit series are looking to cash in on Salman Khan's huge fan following. Audience, especially Salman fans, who bought tickets in bunch, were disappointed after watching the movie. While some said that Race 3 didn't live up to the mark of Race and Race 2, some complained about the lack of suspense in the film as the story was quite predictable.

The Eid festivities may help the film to rake in moolah in the opening weekend but the negative reviews are likely affect the total box office collection. The advance booking has also immensely contributed to Race 3 first day collection and saw upto 60 percent occupancy in the morning shows on Friday while it ran to packed houses in some parts of the country.

Earlier, Taran Adarsh expressed his doubts about the film's success as Race 3 lacks that power. "#Race3 rests on Salman's brawny shoulders... Eid holidays + brand value attached to the film [#Race] are huge plusses... But the biggest of films need a strong foundation [content] to stand tall... Unfortunately, #Race3 lacks that power!" Taran Adarsh tweeted.

Race 3 will definitely score lower than Salman Khan's previous Eid releases. While Salman Khan's action thriller will zoom off to Rs 100 crore mark, it will struggle to reach the Rs 200 crore mark or may not even get close to it because of the lack of good content.

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