'Dunki' box office collection Day 1: Shah Rukh Khan-starrer mints Rs 30 crore, his lowest opening day this year

Rajkumar Hirani's 'Dunki', starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, witnessed a good start at the domestic box office. The film, which opened up to mixed reviews, earned Rs 30 crore on its first day, December 21, as per industry tracker Sacnilk.

However, Dunki -- Shah Rukh's third film in the year after blockbuster hits Pathaan and Jawan -- saw the lowest opening as compared to his other films in 2023. While Pathaan minted Rs 57 crore on its opening day, Jawan had earned about Rs 89.5 crore on its first day.

Dunki, presented by JIO Studios, Red Chillies Entertainment and Rajkumar Hirani Films, hit the screens on December 21, a day before Hombale Films' "Salaar". While the film saw a good start at the box office, it remains to be seen how Prabhas' "Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire" will impact the collections.

Film trade analyst Sumit Kadel took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the Dunki's day 1 update and said the collection is likely to increase over the weekend with positive word of mouth.

"#Dunki Day 1 is headed towards Rs 30 Cr+ in India as per very early estimates. Strong opening considering the social drama genre and mid week non holiday release.. Positive word of mouth  could ensure terrific trending from Sat to Monday!!," he wrote.

Billed as a saga of friendships, borders, nostalgia for home and love, Dunki is a comedy-drama film based on an illegal immigration technique named 'donkey flight'.

The film also features Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Boman Irani, Vikram Kochhar and Anil Grover.

At one of the events in Dubai, Shah Rukh Khan said Dunki is very close to his heart.  

“So when I made Jawan, I thought I made a film for boys and girls but I didn’t make anything for myself, then I made Dunki. So this is my film. This film is very close to my heart. I started the year with Pathaan, which was always ladies first, and I want to end the year with a film for myself. So, please watch Dunki on December 21. Everyone will find something in the film that will touch their heart. The film will make you laugh also,” he had said, as per ANI.  

Also Read: 'Dunki' X review: '100% better than Pathaan and Jawan,' say Shah Rukh Khan's fans after first day first show