Box Office: Sitaare Zameen Par Opens Near Double Digits, Aamir Khan Starrer Eyes Strong Weekend Surge

Sitaare Zameen Par, starring Aamir Khan and directed by R.S. Prasanna, has had a decent start at the Indian box office, flirting with a double-digit figure on its opening day. Early trends suggest the film earned between Rs. 9.50 crore to Rs. 10.50 crore on Friday, with a major portion of the revenue coming from urban multiplexes.

The top three national chains—PVR, Inox, and Cinepolis—contributed nearly Rs. 6.75 crore, accounting for about 65% of the total collections. While this is a fair performance for a slice-of-life film, it falls short of the benchmark typically set by Aamir Khan’s past releases in the genre.

In the post-COVID landscape, opening day figures for films in non-commercial genres have generally taken a hit. However, early audience response for Sitaare Zameen Par appears to be favorable, with occupancies showing a clear upward trend from morning through evening, laying the groundwork for a strong Saturday and Sunday at the box office.

Advance bookings for Saturday are especially promising. As of Friday evening, PVRInox had sold over 40,000 tickets for Saturday shows, and was projected to cross 65,000 tickets by midnight. Cinepolis added around 10,000 tickets to that tally. For context, the film had sold 38,000 tickets for Friday by Thursday midnight—indicating a healthy 70% jump in advance sales for Saturday.

Given the trajectory, Sitaare Zameen Par is expected to jump by 60 to 80% on Saturday, followed by another 20% jump on Sunday, potentially securing a strong foothold heading into the weekdays.

Meanwhile, overseas numbers have also started rolling in. On its opening day, the film collected approximately USD 800K (Rs. 6.75 crore) internationally. The Middle East emerged as the top-performing market with USD 300K, while the U.S. generated under USD 200K and the UK just over GBP 50K.

These figures, though modest, exceeded earlier expectations based on pre-release buzz. The limited screen count in international markets affected collections, though strong occupancies suggest the potential for growth if the film secures more shows.

The film now eyes a USD 2.5 million weekend overseas, which would be considered healthy given its genre and market positioning. It's a far cry from typical A-lister openings but not unexpected considering the film’s niche appeal and modest initial hype.

Industry watchers are drawing parallels with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani, which opened slowly but eventually grossed over USD 20 million worldwide. If Sitaare Zameen Par can generate similar word-of-mouth momentum, it too may see a long and successful run, with hopes to cross the USD 10 million mark internationally—a strong outcome for a content-driven drama.