'Sultan' raises the bar with over Rs 180 crore in opening weekend

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's Eid release "Sultan" has taken the box office by storm. The sports-drama film -- featuring the actor as a wrestler -- has minted Rs 180.36 crore in its special five-day opening weekend and is setting new benchmarks for Bollywood, according to experts.

The Yash Raj Films production, which released on July 7 -- a day before Eid -- remained steady at the box office throughout the weekend.

The film collected Rs 38.21 crore on Sunday, read a communication from the banner.

"Mind-blowing" is how trade guru Komal Nahta has described the film's box office performance so far.

According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film has received "unprecedented" response.

"'Sultan' creates history... Had an unprecendented five-day weekend... Raises the bar for Hindi film biz... It's a monstrous hit," Adarsh posted on Twitter on Monday.

"What's remarkable is that 'Sultan' has crossed lifetime business of several biggies in just five days... All set for Rs 200 crore," Adarsh added.

Amit Sharma, Managing Director of Miraj Entertainment, told IANS: "Even after being embroiled in various controversies, no one can dampen Salman's stardom. The box office collection of 'Sultan' is evidence of the fact that probably nothing can touch his popularity among his fans.

"In my opinion, the movie will set a benchmark on its own."

Apart from Salman, the Ali Abbas Zafar directorial also features Anushka Sharma as wrester Aarfa.

--IANS

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