Tiger 3 receives disastrous response in South, Salman fails to replicate Shah Rukh's success

Salman Khan’s action drama Tiger 3 hit the screens on Diwali. The Maneesh Sharma directorial, also starring Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi in pivotal roles, follows the events of Tiger Zinda Hai, War and Pathaan. It is a sequel to Tiger Zinda Hai and the fifth installment in the Yash Raj Films’ Spy Universe. The action thriller recorded great numbers on its opening day minting ₹44.5 crore on day 1 in India. However, the numbers were dismal down south with Salman's latest release receiving a lukewarm reception in Telugu and Tamil markets. With just two days until its release, the Telugu version has only grossed around 10 lakhs, and the Tamil version a meager Rs. 45,000 in advance bookings.

Trade experts in Tamil Nadu attribute this disparity to the star power of Shah Rukh Khan, emphasizing that only SRK manages to draw significant audiences in South languages. Salman Khan’s Tiger 3 lacks the fervor witnessed for Pathaan and Jawan, both starring SRK, which enjoyed successful openings in Tamil and Telugu.Pathaan achieved a commendable 20 crore net in Tamil and Telugu versions, whereas Jawan soared to a staggering 60 crores. According to Sacnilk early trade estimates, the action-thriller witnessed a 41.32 per cent occupancy in the Hindi screenings. Mumbai contributed the highest while Delhi NCR, Pune and Bengaluru occupied the 2nd, 3rd and 4th spots. Reportedly, 'Tiger 3' released on 5,500 screens in India and 3,400 screens overseas. 'Tiger 3's' first-day collection makes it the third-biggest Salman Khan-opener after the 2019 period drama 'Bharat', which had earned Rs 42.30 crore. It was directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.The film sees Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif reprising their roles as Avinash and Zoya, respectively. Directed by Maneesh Sharma, 'Tiger 3' is produced by Aditya Chopra. The film has cameos by Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Its soundtrack is composed by Pritam, while the background score is composed by Tanuj Tiku. Reportedly, 'Tiger 3' was made on an estimated budget of Rs 300 crore, thus making it the most expensive project of Yash Raj Films.