Box office collection: 'Sultan' biggest Eid opening day grosser; Salman's film beats 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' and Shah Rukh's film records

Salman Khan has done it again. A new movie and a new box office record has been created. "Sultan," starring Salman and Anushka Sharma, was released on a partial holiday on Wednesday and still it managed to rake in more than Rs. 36.54 crore on its opening day at the domestic box office.

As reported earlier, "Sultan" has emerged as the biggest opener of 2016 and also the biggest Eid grosser of all time, shattering the records of Shah Rukh Khan's "Chennai Express," Salman's "Kick," "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan." The opening day collection of "Sultan" is Rs. 36.54 crore, which is the third highest of all time.

#Sultan proves its SUPREMACY at the BO... Does MIND-BOGGLING biz on Wed [pre-Eid]... Wed ₹ 36.54 cr. India biz," trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.

"Highest *DAY 1* of 2016...#Sultan 36.54 cr #Fan 19.20 cr..#HF3 15.21 cr..#Airlift 12.35 cr..#Baaghi 11.94 cr..#UdtaPunjab 10.05 cr..Hindi films," he tweeted.

"Highest *DAY 1* of Salman Khan films... #PRDP 40.35 cr #Sultan 36.54 cr #ETTiger 32.93 cr #BajrangiBhaijaan 27.25 cr #Kick 26.40 cr."

"Sultan" opened to fabulous occupancy across India on Wednesday. Despite partial Eid holiday, the film registered 90 to 100 percent occupancy at several circuits across the country. The opening day advance booking itself recorded huge numbers, which helped trade analysts to predict a Rs. 35 + crore opening for "Sultan." However, the positive reviews and strong word of mouth increased the occupancy further in the evening show.

Considering the opening day occupancy reports, trade experts expected that "Sultan" would cross Rs. 40 crore mark with its nett box office collection, but the film failed to do so. It also failed to break the records of "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" and "Happy New Year," which are the top two biggest openers of all time. Nevertheless, "Sultan" recorded the third highest opening day collection and also shattered the records of Aamir Khan's "Dhoom 3."

"Sultan" is now Salman's second biggest opener, after "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo," while the biggest opener of Anushka and director Ali Abbas Zafar's career. 

Directed by Ali, "Sultan" was released in 5,450 screens worldwide on July 6. The film, which is made on a budget of Rs. 90 crore, also features Randeep Hooda, Kumud Mishra and Amit Sadh in pivotal roles. 

Check out the top 10 opening day biggest box office grosser all time below: