The third instalment in the Tiger franchise just gave Salman Khan his biggest opening yet. Tiger 3, co-starring Katrina Kaif, released a day ago on Diwali and made Rs 43 crore on Day 1, reports trade analyst Taran Adarsh. No big Hindi film has released on Diwali day in over a decade – Tiger 3 is a "game changer," according to Mr Adarsh. The film has set a Diwali record as well as given its lead star his personal best first day at the box office.
"While no major Hindi film has released on Diwali Day in more than a decade (film biz is severely impacted, since people are busy with festivities and Laxmi Puja), Tiger 3 emerges a game changer. Decimates all BO records for Diwali Day. Hold on, not only is Tiger 3 the highest opener on Diwali Day, but also Salman Khan's biggest opener ever (yes, you read that right!). Sunday ₹ 43 cr. India biz. Hindi version. Box office," posted Taran Adarsh, adding a break up of the regional score as well as the first day performance of all three Tiger films.
Salman Khan's top five openers are now Tiger 3, Bharat, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai.
The Diwali total appears to be auspicious – a Day 2 forecast by Mr Adarsh predicts a "massive total" by the end of Monday.
In his review of Tiger 3 for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee said, “In his third outing as superspy Avinash Singh Rathore alias Tiger, Salman Khan, with aid of a story by producer Aditya Chopra and a screenplay from Shridhar Raghavan, proves that there is always a great deal of purchase from the spectacle of an irrepressible hero leaping off all kinds of perches and landing on his feet. The lead actor's star power comes in handy, but Tiger 3 (like Pathaan and unlike War) is gender-agnostic. Katrina Kaif is allowed almost as much of the action as the invincible Tiger, whose death-defying feats return in the third instalment in a bigger and more brazen form.”
Meanwhile, ahead of Tiger 3's release, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif also requested fans to not reveal spoilers from the film. Sharing identical posts on their respective Instagram Stories, the superstars wrote, "We have made Tiger 3 with a lot of passion and we are counting on you to protect our spoilers when you see the film. Spoilers can ruin the movie-watching experience. We trust you to do what is right. We hope Tiger 3 is the perfect Diwali gift from us to you!! Releasing in cinemas tomorrow in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu."
In addition to Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, Tiger 3 also features Emraan Hashmi as the antagonist. As mentioned above, Tiger 3 is the latest addition to the YRF Spy Universe, which includes War and Pathaan.