Saiyaara Box Office Collection Day 8: Director Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara steps into its second week, all set to pass the Rs 200 crore mark at the box office. Debutante actor Ahaan Panday has announced himself in a grand manner, with his first project outgrossing some of the biggest films of the last few years. According to early estimates by industry tracker Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 17.5 crore net on day 8, taking the total domestic collection to Rs 190.25 crore. At a time when films are struggling to break even, especially the ones starring new faces or debutantes, this kind of performance is unprecedented.
After surpassing superstar Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par (164.74 cr), Saiyaara’s latest victim is Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 (173 cr). Saiyaara has also overtaken the ensemble comedy Housefull 5 (183 cr), which was filled to the brim with big Bollywood names and had two separate endings. The film saw a bit of a dip in its occupancy rates, with the average of day 8 coming out at 25.6%. The morning and afternoon shows managed rates of 13.69% and 23.58%, while the evening and night shows achieved 25.39% and 39.72%.
For comparison, Saiyaara has now earned more (net collection) than the lifetime earnings of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (188 cr), Kartik Aaryan’s Bhool Bhulaiya 2 (184 cr), Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, and Priyanka Chopra’s Bajirao Mastani (184 cr), Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees (164 cr), and Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif’s Bang Bang! (174 cr). It’s true that times have changed since most of these films came out, but it should also be noted that audiences now have more of an incentive to sit at home and use streaming services rather than go to the theatres.
YRF and Mohit Suri came up with the strategy to keep the new stars away from the spotlight, building intrigue around the project. Both Ahaan and Aneet now need to assess opportunities and think very carefully about their next project, as everything they do from this point on will be compared to this film.
