'Border 2,' 'Pathaan' to 'Padmaavat': Biggest Republic Day openers at the box office

Sunny Deol led ‘Border 2’ has emerged as one of the biggest January openers at the box office in Bollywood. Despite the burden of comparisons, the film has emerged as a true winner as it made Rs 30 crore on its opening day. Released ahead of the Republic Day holiday, the film is expected to get more footfall and emerge as one of the biggest blockbusters of the year.

The week coinciding with Republic Day has always been a treasure trove for film producers. If the plot and the performances click with the audiences, then it means the makers just have to tune into the ‘Paisa Paisa ('De Dana Dan')’ song, sit back and relax!

As ‘Border 2’ is set to storm the box office in the coming days, let’s take a look back at films that were the biggest Republic Day openers in the past years.

Released on January 25, 2023, ‘Pathaan’ starring Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest blockbuster films from Hindi. The film, also featuring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead roles, collected Rs 57 crore on the opening day, according to Sacnilk. Yes, that’s right. The magic numbers, perhaps, only SRK can achieve. The film closed at a whopping Rs 1055.00 crore at the box office collection

Deepika Padukone starrer ‘Padmaavat’ was one of the biggest Republic Day openers at the box office in the past decade. The film, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, also featured Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles. Released on January 25, 2018, ‘Padmavaat’ collected Rs 24 crore on the opening day, according to Sacnilk. The film had a successful run in the cinemas and closed at Rs 585 crore.

Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer ‘Fighter’ released on January 25, 2024. The film also had Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, Rishabh Sawhney, and Sanjeeda Sheikh in crucial roles. The film that revolves around Air Force aviators collected Rs 22.5 crore at the box office. Yes, the film received great initial pull; however, in the following days, it didn’t perform as expected, only collecting Rs 358.89 crore by the end.

Shah Rukh Khan starrer 2017 release ‘Raees’ also followed the success stream of being one of the most profitable openers. The film was released on January 25. On the opening day, ‘Raees’ collected Rs 20.40 crore at the box office, as per Sacnilk. Also featuring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mahira Khan in pivotal roles, the film closed at Rs 281.45 crore.

Akshay Kumar’s ‘Sky Force’ was released last year and revolved around India's first airstrike at the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan in 1965. The film was released on January 24, and it collected Rs 12.25 crore on the first day. Despite huge expectations, the film didn’t perform well, wrapping up at Rs 150.01 crore. However, the first day collection was promising. Actors Sara Ali Khan and Nimrat Kaur, also played key roles in the film.