With Rs. 14.5 cr, 'Shaitaan' nears 'Drishyam 2' opening collection
The spine-chilling horror flick Shaitaan, starring Ajay Devgn, R Madhavan, and Jyotika, has earned a whopping Rs. 14.5 crore on its opening day, as reported by industry tracker Sacnilk. Directed by Vikas Bahl, this terrifying tale has reportedly become Bollywood's biggest supernatural opener ever, dethroning Emraan Hashmi and Bipasha Basu's Raaz 3, which held the record for 12 years. Shaitaan, which also features Janki Bodiwala in a key role, is an official adaptation of the Gujarati film Vash (2023).
Why does this story matter?
Released in cinema halls on Friday, the film has become the biggest opener in the supernatural thriller genre. Before Shaitaan's record-breaking debut, Raaz 3 held the title for the highest Bollywood opener in this genre with a collection of Rs. 10.33 crore. The second-biggest opening was Ragini MMS 2 (2014), led by Sunny Leone, which minted Rs. 8.25 crore. Vicky Kaushal's Bhoot: The Haunted Ship held the third position with an opening collection of Rs. 5.10 crore.
Night shows witnessed maximum capacity
As per Sacnilk's data, Shaitaan saw an overall occupancy of 25.70% in Hindi. The maximum occupancy was recorded during the night shows at 43.02%, followed by evening shows at 25.23%, and afternoon shows at 21%. The lowest occupancy was registered during the morning shows at 13.54%. In terms of the film's occupancy in major cities, Mumbai saw the maximum occupancy in theaters with 33.75%, closely followed by Pune and Chandigarh at 33.25% each.
'Shaitaan's performance compared to other Devgn and Madhavan's films
Shaitaan's impressive first-day earnings are neck and neck with Drishyam 2's opening collection of Rs. 15.38 crore. Devgn's previous film Bholaa raked in Rs. 11 crore on Day 1 and amassed a total of Rs. 90 crore during its theatrical run. Madhavan's recent releases, Rocketry: The Nambi Effect and Dhokha Round D Corner, experienced mixed results, with the former earning Rs. 1.78 crore on its opening day and the latter struggling with a total collection of Rs. 3.25 crore.
Jyotika's return to Bollywood after 25 years
Shaitaan marks Jyotika's much-awaited return to Bollywood after a 25-year hiatus. Speaking about her comeback, she said, "It's my re-entry in Bollywood after 25 years, and I think what I am really looking out for in a film today, after doing numerous roles and different kinds of cinema down south, is something meaningful, something with great content." Jyotika's last Hindi film was Priyadarshan's Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998), starring Akshaye Khanna.
