Salman Khan's 'Sikandar' sees excelled advance bookings

Salman Khan's much-anticipated film "Sikandar" is set to hit theaters on March 30. Directed by the acclaimed A.R. Murugadoss, the film features an impressive ensemble cast including Rashmika Mandanna, Kajal Aggarwal, Sathyaraj, Sharman Joshi, and Prateik Babbar. Ahead of its release, advance booking for the film has officially opened.

According to a report from Sacnilk, "Sikandar" has so far raked in Rs 1.91 crore in advance sales, excluding block bookings, with over 60,000 tickets sold for the opening day in India. Including block bookings, ticket sales have reached Rs 6.15 crore. The film is slated to have 9,128 screenings across India.

"Sikandar" is set to face stiff competition from the Malayalam action thriller "L2: Empuraan," starring Mohanlal, which will premiere on March 27, just days prior to "Sikandar's" release. "L2: Empuraan" has already sold over 450,000 tickets, bringing in Rs 9.02 crore, and will be screened in 8,748 shows nationwide.

Addressing the impending box office clash, Prithviraj Sukumaran, director of "L2: Empuraan," emphasized that there is "no competition" between the two films. At a recent Delhi press conference, he expressed his admiration for Salman Khan, labeling him as one of the country's biggest stars. "I hope it becomes a blockbuster," he stated, as reported by the Hindustan Times. He playfully added, "I will have no complaints if you watch 'L2: Empuraan' at 11 a.m. and 'Sikandar' at 1 p.m."

"Sikandar" marks Salman Khan's first collaboration with director A.R. Murugadoss, who is renowned for working with other top-tier Bollywood and South Indian stars such as Aamir Khan ("Ghajini"), Rajinikanth ("Darbar"), Vijay ("Kaththi"), Mahesh Babu ("Spyder"), Chiranjeevi ("Stalin"), Suriya ("Ghajini"), and Ajith ("Dheena").

The film is produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, promising a blockbuster cinematic experience.