2 Years of Dunki vs Salaar | Final Collections in Hindi Circuits Revealed

Shah Rukh Khan and Prabhas are two of the biggest pullers of box office numbers in today’s time, no matter what the project is. While distributors and exhibitors usually rejoice when the movies of both stars hit the theaters, the situation became disappointing for them but exciting for the fans when the two decided to clash for the first and last time in their careers with Dunki vs Salaar, 2 years ago, on the Christmas weekend of 2023.

What Were the Box Office Expectations from Dunki Vs Salaar?

Salaar (Prabhas, action) and Dunki (SRK, comedy-drama) were two of the most-awaited Indian movies of 2023, even though they both came from different industries. Both of them gave various reasons for the audience to be excited. Salaar featured Prabhas in an action movie in his home zone, with the director of KGF Chapter 2, Prashanth Neel. 

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan stepped into a comedy drama with Dunki, helmed by the director of some of the most successful comedy dramas of Bollywood, Rajkumar Hirani. Additionally, Shah Rukh Khan was coming back after delivering two Rs 1000cr+ grossers in the same year. 

These were the primary factors behind the massive Dunki vs Salaar Indian box office expectations, which made the clash one of the most hyped ones of the decade.

Dunki vs Salaar Indian Box Office Collection

At the Indian box office, Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki movie was a clear loser of the clash, as it collected only Rs 201 crore nett over its lifetime run. While the clash had a major role to play in this disappointing collection, Dunki also suffered from mixed to negative reviews. Additionally, at the worldwide box office, Dunki saw a gross of Rs 425 crore, where the overseas gross contribution was $22M.

As of Prabhas’ Salaar film, the love it gained from the Hindi circuits and from the rest of the nation was clearly visible. To make the comparison seem fair, Salaar, being an originally Telugu movie dubbed in Hindi, collected Rs 170cr nett with this dubbed version, while its India nett stood at Rs 417 crore. 

This collection showed successful results even though Prabhas was coming after back-to-back disasters, i.e., Radhe Shyam and Adipurush. Even on the worldwide front, Salaar beat Dunki with a gross of Rs 621cr, which included an overseas gross of $16M.

This is how, in the clash of two biggest superstars of India, the Tollywood superstar pushed the King off of his throne.

Dunki vs Salaar Circuit-Wise Hindi Nett Comparison

Remembering the two movies on 2 years of Dunki film and 2 years of Salaar, when we consider the circuit-wise depth of their box office collection, it can be seen that neither held a clear majority over the other. Dunki dominated the Prabhas starrer’s Hindi version at circuits like Delhi, Mumbai, and Nizam/Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, Salaar went ahead of Dunki in Bihar, East Punjab, Rajasthan, etc., which shows the pull of Prabhas among the masses of the Hindi belt.

Dunki was released only in Hindi, and that’s why its overall collection was higher than that of Salaar’s Hindi version. However, Dunki also had some advantages, as the Hindi-speaking audience is much broader than the Telugu audience, and Shah Rukh Khan is a much more active face in the Hindi circuit than Prabhas. Despite these advantages, Salaar (Hindi) made profits and became the WINNER of the clash with a superhit verdict, while Dunki ended its run with an average verdict.

On the upcoming front, both Prabhas and Shah Rukh Khan have a massive lineup locked. While Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming movies consist of King and Pathaan 2, Prabhas would be next seen in The RajaSaab, Spirit, Fauzi, Kalki 2898 AD Part 2, and Salaar Part 2. As for Prashanth Neel, his next movies are Salaar Part 2 and the NTR-Neel project.

While Salaar is getting a sequel, Rajkumar Hirani is the most affected by Dunki’s underperformance, as his lineup is full of unconfirmed projects being put on hold and being developed randomly. Vicky Kaushal has made a great lineup for himself, as after a successful comeback with Chhaava, he is set to star in the mythological action drama Mahavatar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love & War. As for Taapsee Pannu, she will be starring in Mulk 2, Gandhari, and Woh Ladki Hai Kahaan, none of which are exciting.

Stay tuned to Inside Box Office for more such details and insights regarding the detailed day-wise and circuit-wise box office collection of popular Bollywood and South Indian movies.