'Salaar' update: Despite likely clash with SRK's 'Dunki', Prabhas-starrer to be shown at nearly 2,000 locations in North America

Prabhas-starrer 'Salaar' will be shown in a whopping 1,979 locations in North America in December despite Shah Rukh Khan's ' Dunki' likely to release on same day, said the movie's distributor in the region on Friday. 

"#SalaarCeasefire is about to shake 1,979 locations in North America to the core, with unmatched Bulldozer forcem," posted Prathyangira Cinemas on X platform (formerly Twitter). 

First part of Prabhas-led action film series 'Salaar' will hit the theatres on December 22, the makers announced Friday, setting up a mouth watering box office clash with 'Dunki'.

Producer Hombale Films shared the release date of the much-anticipated film, titled '"Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire", on the banner's official page on X. ''#SalaarCeaseFire Worldwide Release On Dec 22, 2023,'' the post read. The movie was originally scheduled to premiere on September 28 but earlier this month the release was pushed by the makers due to ''unforseen circumstances''. The first part of the pan-India film series is billed as a big-budget action adventure. It is directed by Prashanth Neel of the "KGF" franchise fame and produced by Vijay Kiragandur.

The film will also feature Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Eshwari Rao, Jagapathi Babu and Sriya Reddy. ''Dunki'' is directed by Rajkumar Hirani from a script he co-wrote with Abhijaat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon. The film will be Shah Rukh's third release of 2023 after ''Pathaan'' and ''Jawan''. Both the films have crossed Rs 1000 crore mark at the global box office.

Salaar's North American theatrical rights have reportedly been sold for a whopping Rs 35.98 crore ($4.32 million). The film will need to make Rs 74.96 crore ($9 million) at the North American box office to break-even, said trade analyst Manobala Vijayabalan on X recently.

When the movie was scheduled for release on September 28 before it changed the date, it had already earned over $500,000 in advance bookings in US. 

Rajkumar Hirani's ''Dunki'' is completed and a ''little like life itself'', said Shah Rukh Khan recently, who is currently riding high on the back-to-back success of his two movies, ''Jawan'' and ''Pathaan''.

Also featuring actor Taapsee Pannu, ''Dunki'' is directed by Hirani from a script he co-wrote with Abhijaat Joshi and Kanika Dhillon. The movie is currently set for release on December 22.

During an #AskSRK session with his fans on X on Wednesday, the actor received few queries about the comedy drama film, which will mark his first collaboration with Hirani.

One fan asked Shah Rukh will ''Dunki'' feature any action sequences, which were aplenty in ''Pathaan'' and ''Jawan''.

To this, the actor replied, ''#Dunki is all funny and emotional. It's Raju sirs world mere bhai. Thoda sa action maine daal diya hai…pata nahi sir rahein na rakhein….woh editor bhi hain na.'' Another fan asked if the Christmas release date of ''Dunki'' has been locked and the actor said, ''#Dunki Fixed hi hai. Aur kya karoon Maathe pe gudwa loon.'' 

''Dunki'' is backed by JIO Studios, Red Chillies Entertainment and Rajkumar Hirani Films.

The film will be Shah Rukh's third release of 2023. He made a return to leading man roles with ''Pathaan'', which was released in January. The Siddharth Anand directorial raised over Rs 1000 crore at the worldwide box office.

His most recent film ''Jawan'', directed by Atlee, was released on September 7. The film has also earned over Rs 1000 crore globally.

Meanwhile, Dil Raju, one of the biggest producers and distributors in India, has reportedly bagged the distribution rights of Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire for Nizam and Uttarandhra for a whopping Rs 80 crore, which includes Rs 65 crore as a non-refundable advance and Rs 15 crore as a refundable advance.

Though it’s not known how much Star TV and Netflix paid individually, it is learnt that Salaar’s makers have earned a whopping Rs 350 crore through the sale of their satellite, digital and also audio rights, said a report recently.