On Day 3, 'Pathaan' box office collections see first decrease, with early estimates for Friday

Shah Rukh Khan's latest release "Pathaan" directed by Siddharth Anand has been receiving rave reviews at the box office. The film managed to stay above the Rs 50 crore mark for the first two days but saw a dip in collections on its third day. According to reports on boxofficeindia.com, the early estimates for Friday round off to approximately Rs 35-36 crore. This takes the overall collection to an estimated Rs 158-159 crore nett.

The film has been enjoying a historic run at the theaters, breaking records held by other films such as 'KGF 2' which earned an estimated Rs 140.50 crore nett in its first weekend. However, it should be noted that SRK managed to rake in the big bucks on a working week, whereas other films enjoyed a holiday weekend.

With the Saturday and Sunday holidays offering more room for the numbers to grow, "Pathaan" is expected to cruise past the Rs 200 crore nett mark today. It will come as no surprise if the film goes on to register a blockbuster weekend and ends Sunday with collections over Rs 250 crore nett. On Day 2, "Pathaan" collected Rs. 68 crore nett (Hindi format), while its dubbed formats earned Rs 2.5 crore nett. The movie beat its own record for the highest single-day collection ever which it set on the opening day by recording an estimated total of Rs 57 crore nett.

Reacting to the success of the film, director Siddharth Anand said in a statement, "Scripting history. Everyone wants it, but one can't plan it. It just happens. And when it does, it's actually a very humbling experience. I'm feeling incredibly overwhelmed right now and inspired to get back on the film set and try and create something really special for audiences again. That's my state of mind." With "Pathaan", Siddharth Anand becomes the only Hindi film director to have two back-to-back 50 crore+ openers to his credit. This is a testament to the director's talent and the popularity of Shah Rukh Khan. The film is expected to continue its successful run at the box office in the coming days.