Diwali has long been one of Bollywood’s biggest box-office periods, with several films recording massive opening-day collections during the festive season.
Thugs of Hindostan (2018) holds the record for Bollywood’s biggest Diwali opening, earning ₹52.25 crore nett on day one. Here are the top five openers.
Top 5 Diwali openers in Bollywood
| Movie | Release Year | Day 1 Net Collection (India) | Key Stars |
| Thugs of Hindostan | 2018 | Rs 52.25 crore | Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif |
| Happy New Year | 2014 | Rs 44.97 crore | SRK, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan |
| Tiger 3 | 2023 | Rs 44.50 crore | Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif |
| Singham Again | 2024 | Rs 43.70 crore | Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor |
| Prem Ratan Dhan Payo | 2015 | Rs 40.35 crore | Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor |
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Massive multi-starrers like Thugs of Hindostan and Happy New Year leveraged extreme pre-release hype.
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They secured wide screen distributions and premium ticket pricing, allowing them to break single-day records before negative word-of-mouth could impact the box office momentum.
While older blockbusters relied on solo releases, the modern era (evidenced by the massive ₹43.70 crore opening of Singham Again alongside Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3) proves that the holiday capacity has expanded enough to support two major films concurrently generating massive numbers on the exact same weekend.
FAQs
When does Ramayana: Part 1 release in theatres?
The film releases across India on November 5, 2026 (just before Diwali).
How much has Ramayana Part 1 advance booking collected so far?
Domestic advance sales of Ramayana Part 1 have crossed ₹18.99 crore.
