Maatrubhumi, Salman Khan’s first theatrical release since the disappointment of Sikandar, is heading into its December 4 opening with a question mark over the first-day number. A day after the trailer dropped online, the film is tracking more like a star-driven event than a broadly demanded one.
The trailer reach is healthy, but the urgency is missing
By 2:30 pm IST, the trailer had crossed 15 million views and 222,000 likes. Those are respectable numbers, but the response among neutral audiences is mixed, and the trade sense is that the asset has not created the kind of urgency that turns a big star vehicle into a top-tier opener.
The film also carries baggage that has softened initial excitement: the original title, Battle of Galwan, was changed; the project went through reshoots and delays; and at one point there were rumours it would skip cinemas for a direct-to-OTT release. Each of those, the trade suggests, has eroded early buzz.
Day one is now a 20-25 crore conversation
As a non-holiday release, Maatrubhumi is being projected to open in the 20-25 crore net range. With a stronger trailer, the same film could have aimed for the 30 crore mark, but that scenario looks less likely after the mixed first impression.
It will also share screens with Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha on December 4, which will split the exhibition footprint and pressure both films’ opening numbers.
Bollywood’s top five openers of 2026
- Dhurandhar 2 – 145 crore
- Ramayana – 65 crore
- Drishyam 3 – 62 crore
- Border 2 – 32.1 crore
- Mirzapur The Movie – 28.11 crore
At a 20-25 crore start, Maatrubhumi would fall short of fifth-placed Mirzapur The Movie’s 28.11 crore, leaving it outside the top five openers of the year.
Why the benchmark matters
For a marquee star, a place among the year’s top opening days is more than a vanity metric. It tells exhibitors that theatrical clout remains intact and helps a film command screens and showtimes through its first weekend. Missing the mark would make Maatrubhumi the second consecutive Salman Khan release to arrive below the trade’s highest expectations after Sikandar.
The comparison with the fifth place is especially stark: even a 25 crore opening would be a little over 3 crore short of Mirzapur The Movie’s 28.11 crore. In a split-screen December frame, that gap is harder to close because the other release, Eetha, is competing for the same urban and mass shows.
What to watch
The next signal will be advance bookings and the final pre-release campaign. The film is now leaning heavily on the Salman Khan factor; history suggests a mass opening is still possible, but the top-five threshold is demanding without wider audience pull.
Source: Koimoi
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