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Salman Khan, a name synonymous with Bollywood blockbusters, is gearing up for the release of his latest action flick, 'Sikandar,' slated to hit theaters on March 30. Directed by AR Murugadoss and co-starring Rashmika Mandanna, the film promises a blend of high-octane action and romance, interwoven with a narrative touching upon relevant social issues. Khan himself has touted it as a complete family entertainer, aiming to win hearts this Eid. While fans eagerly anticipate 'Sikandar,' it's worthwhile to reflect on the superstar's recent cinematic endeavors and their performance at the box office. This analysis delves into Salman Khan's last five full-fledged films, examining their plots, budgets, and worldwide earnings, providing context for understanding expectations surrounding 'Sikandar.' The examination of these movies showcases the ups and downs, hits and misses, that even the biggest stars of the industry face. This provides insights not only into Salman Khan's career trajectory, but the fickle nature of the industry itself, where success is never guaranteed, and a proven formula does not necessarily guarantee a repeat performance. The examination of his recent movies and their respective earnings is pertinent because it showcases not only a trend in his career, but also sheds light on how movie making as a whole has changed. The success criteria now is very different as compared to what it used to be a decade ago. With the ever increasing importance of OTT and digital distribution, the overall performance of the films also depends on viewership on various streaming platforms. Therefore the financial success or failure needs to be assessed not only based on the theatrical run of the film, but also the overall success when factoring in various ways of monetization of the content. The article, therefore, only gives a partial picture as it only considers the performance of the film from a theatrical perspective. This needs to be understood as a very important context and the true picture of the performance only becomes clear when considering the factors from the various platforms that distribute content. Furthermore the marketing budget is also a very important consideration, as oftentimes big budget movies will have an equally big marketing budget as well. That means a significant percentage of the budget has been allocated only for marketing and advertisement to try and boost the performance of the movie. Therefore if the marketing campaign is successful, the movie will have higher chances of succeeding. However if the campaign is ineffective, it can also directly impact the overall performance and it will translate to fewer people going to the theatres. Another aspect of consideration is the genre of the movie. Salman Khan has typically been known for doing action movies, but also tries to do movies across a broad range of genres. Some of his recent movies have been an attempt to move into different genres and to experiment with different themes and storylines. Therefore to assess whether a movie is successful or not also depends on whether the audience accepts Salman Khan in that particular role or genre. Therefore the success also depends on the audience perception and whether or not they are able to accept the actor in a different role than he is normally known for. This often happens when actors try to break away from typecast roles and want to experiment with different and challenging themes and characters. The industry is filled with examples of where actors have tried to do that and sometimes it succeeds, but often it leads to a commercial disaster where the audience does not accept the actor in that kind of role. Therefore Salman Khan also faces a similar issue as he tries to broaden his horizons and move into new dimensions. He has had different degrees of success with different movies and the overall performance has also differed because of that. Therefore the audience perception and acceptance of the actor in a particular role is also very crucial for the overall performance.
In 2023, Salman Khan graced the screen in 'Tiger 3,' a noteworthy addition to Yash Raj Films' Spy Universe. This spy thriller not only showcased Khan's charismatic persona but also highlighted his on-screen chemistry with Katrina Kaif. Emraan Hashmi joined the cast, adding another layer of intrigue to the narrative, which revolved around Tiger and Zoya's fight against a rogue ISI agent. Produced with a substantial budget of Rs 300 crore, 'Tiger 3' amassed an impressive Rs 466.63 crore worldwide, establishing itself as a commercially successful venture. This movie was perceived as a success and it was a very good way for him to reestablish his position as one of the main stars. The movie provided a lot of momentum for the rest of the lineup and it gave him a huge boost in popularity as well. It was also important because it was able to connect very well with the audience. However, the follow-up to Tiger 3 would prove to be a more complicated endeavor. 'Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan,' also released in 2023, marked Salman Khan's Eid offering. Directed by Farhad Samji, it was a remake of the Tamil film 'Veeram.' While Pooja Hegde played the female lead, the film boasted an ensemble cast including Venkatesh, Siddharth Nigam, Raghav Juyal, Palak Tiwari, and Shehnaaz Gill. Despite its star-studded lineup, this family drama, made on a budget of Rs 125 crore (excluding Salman's fees), only managed to garner Rs 184.5 crore globally, falling short of expectations. This movie underperformed, which meant that it raised a lot of questions about Salman Khan's overall standing as a box office draw. It started to become apparent that not all of his movies would necessarily be successful. The success also depended on other factors, such as the storyline and the narrative and the production quality of the movie itself. This was a major issue that started to gain prominence and there was a serious question whether or not Salman Khan would be able to continue being the bankable star that he used to be. He needed to seriously rethink his strategy and try to find a way to reconnect with the audience. This becomes an ever increasing issue for him as the popularity of OTT platforms is constantly increasing as well. Therefore the movie has to be very special in order for the audience to make the effort to actually go to the theatres and see the movie. The overall quality needs to be such that it justifies spending the money to buy the tickets and also spending the time to go to the theatres and sit for three hours. The overall experience needs to be very different from what can be obtained by just watching it at home. Therefore the audience has become very selective about which movies they would like to see in the theater, and they can afford to be very choosy because they have the option of watching it on OTT at a later date as well.
Looking back to 2021, Mahesh Manjrekar's 'Antim: The Final Truth' featured Salman Khan alongside Aayush Sharma in leading roles. Inspired by the Marathi film 'Mulshi Pattern,' 'Antim' explored the conflict between a Sikh police officer and a gangster, highlighting the plight of farmers and their descent into crime. Released in November 2021, the film was produced on a budget of Rs 40 crore and earned approximately Rs 58.5 crore worldwide, proving to be a moderate success. This movie was a respectable performance, however, it was not enough to silence the questions that were starting to get raised about Salman Khan. It became more and more apparent that he needed a major hit to really establish his position and to show the audience that he can still bring the crowds to the movie theatres. Around the same time, 'Radhe' also released, directed by Prabhu Deva. 'Radhe' was a remake of the 2017 South Korean film 'The Outlaws.' Starring Salman Khan, Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda, and Jackie Shroff, the film generated initial excitement upon its Eid 2021 release. However, it ultimately failed to impress at the box office, earning a mere Rs 18.61 crore worldwide against a budget of nearly Rs 90 crore. This was widely considered a flop and a disaster from a commercial and critical perspective. It was another reason why questions were raised about Salman Khan's overall role in the movie industry. This was starting to create serious doubts in the minds of many and that began to have a serious impact on his overall performance. This was becoming a major challenge that needed to be addressed. Therefore, the subsequent movies needed to perform at a much higher level in order to silence the critics and to solidify his position as a leading actor. Prior to this, in 2019, 'Dabangg 3,' directed by Prabhu Deva, was released to positive reviews. 'Dabangg 3' featured Kichcha Sudeep, Sonakshi Sinha, Saiee Manjrekar, and Arbaaz Khan. Penned by Salman Khan himself, the film continued the story of the incorruptible cop Chulbul Pandey, who faces a new challenge in the form of his old nemesis, Bali Singh (Sudeep). Made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, the film grossed nearly Rs 220 crore globally, marking it as one of Salman Khan's last major blockbusters. The movie showcased Salman Khan in a more favorable light and it reminded the audience of all the factors that made him a popular star in the first place. It was a major boost to his overall image and helped to bring back a lot of his long time fans who were starting to lose hope. This also became a major factor in shaping the perception of him in the industry. Therefore the performance of Dabangg 3 was seen as a very important movie in his career.
As 'Sikandar' prepares to hit theaters, the anticipation is palpable. The film's success hinges not only on Salman Khan's star power but also on its ability to resonate with audiences seeking a blend of action, romance, and social commentary. Given the mixed performance of his previous films, the stakes are high for 'Sikandar' to deliver a compelling cinematic experience. In conclusion, the performance of 'Sikandar' will be closely watched, as it will determine his trajectory moving forward. It is essential for him to continue to innovate and explore new dimensions to connect with the audience and ensure his continued success in the film industry. The success or failure of Sikandar will determine whether Salman Khan continues to be one of the top stars or if he goes down the same path as many other actors. The success or failure also needs to be assessed by taking into account all aspects of commercial success, not only how it does in movie theatres.
Source: Ahead of Sikandar, a look at Salman Khan's last five films' box office performance