Sardaar Ji 3 Box Office: Diljit starrer opens overseas, Biggest ever for India in Pakistan BUT...
Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3 amassed over USD 500K (Rs. 4.50 crore) on Friday from the overseas market, with a record-breaking opening in Pakistan. This marks the highest opening day ever for a Punjabi film; however, the two films it is ahead of, Jatt and Juliet 3 and Carry on Jatta 3, had a mid-week release on Thursday. When comparing Friday-to-Friday, both those titles outperformed Sardaar Ji 3, making this the third-best opening day for a Punjabi film in relative terms..
The Diljit Dosanjh starrer featuring Neeru Bajwa and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir had to let go of release in India due to ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. While Diljit is facing criticism in India for casting a Pakistani actress, this controversy appears to have amplified the film's appeal in Pakistan and the Pakistani diaspora abroad.
In Pakistan, the film grossed PKR 3.35 crore (USD 120K) on Friday, which is the highest ever first day for an Indian film, beating Sultan from almost a decade ago. The Pakistani market isn't the same as it was back in the day. Ticket prices have gone up, but the overall market has shrunk, with far fewer operational screens today. Moreover, while Bollywood films once had pan-national appeal in Pakistan, Punjabi films mostly draw audiences in West Punjab.
The top market for the film was Canada with CAD 195K, a good start, but pales in comparison to CAD 302K opening day and CAD 380K Friday of Jatt and Juliet 3. Similarly, Australia underwhelmed with AUD 80K against AUD 201K Friday of Jatt and Juliet 3, though here the film could have done better, but was limited by showcasing as most key locations were running full. UAE and UK, with their sizable Pakistani diaspora, saw strong starts, ahead of Jatt and Juliet 3.
The overseas box office for the film may see it through, but the loss of the domestic market, not just theatrical but potentially non-theatrical, is a big blow. It's not just a setback for the film but for the Punjabi film industry as a whole, which has been struggling on the domestic front. Sardaar Ji 3 was seen as a potential shot in the arm for the industry… alas.
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