“Saiyaara” Creates History: Biggest Romantic Debut Film Opening in Indian Cinema

YRF’s Romantic Drama Becomes Highest Opening Film for Debutants in Indian Cinema

New Delhi, July 21:
Yash Raj Films’ latest romantic drama Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri and starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, has taken the Indian box office by storm, delivering one of the biggest openings in the history of debutant-led films. Released on July 18, the film earned a staggering ₹25 crore on its opening day in India, setting multiple records in the process.

According to figures released by YRF, nearly 9.75 lakh people watched the film in theatres on Day 1. This marks the highest opening ever for a Hindi film led by debutants, surpassing Dhadak (2018), which opened at ₹8.76 crore. Saiyaara also outperformed recent romantic blockbusters such as Kabir Singh (₹20.21 crore), Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar (₹15.73 crore), and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (₹11.1 crore).

Highest Advance Booking for a Debut Film

The film’s box office success was preceded by massive advance bookings, with ₹9.39 crore in sales and 3.8 lakh tickets sold before release. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh reported that 1.38 lakh tickets were sold across national chains, including 1.05 lakh in PVR INOX and 33,000 in Cinepolis.

This represents the highest ticket sales on Day 1 for a debutant-led film since Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and Refugee made headlines in 2000.

Career-Best Opening for Mohit Suri

Director Mohit Suri, known for hits like Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain, has delivered his career-best opening with Saiyaara. The film’s ₹21 crore nett opening eclipses his previous best, Ek Villain, which opened at ₹16.70 crore.

What makes the success even more remarkable is that the film achieved this feat with just 8,000 screenings across India—less than half the average 18,000 shows usually needed for such collections. Despite the limited number of shows, many theatres reported sold-out screenings across metropolitan cities.

Among 2025’s Top Opening Weekends

Globally, Saiyaara grossed $11.9 million in its opening weekend, securing the 9th spot on the worldwide box office chart, as per Comscore. In India alone, the two-day gross stood at $6.6 million, with Sunday collections pushing the total to ₹83 crore. This places Saiyaara among the top five highest opening weekends of 2025.

Surpasses Big-Budget Releases

In just three days, the film has outperformed several major releases of the year, including:

  • Sky Force (₹12.25 crore)

  • Raid 2 (₹19.25 crore)

  • Sitaare Zameen Par (₹10.7 crore)

  • Kesari Chapter 2 (₹7.75 crore)

It has also overtaken the lifetime collections of:

  • Maalik (₹23.27 crore)

  • Deva (₹33.97 crore)

  • Maa (₹38.51 crore)

  • The Diplomat (₹40.73 crore)

  • Metro… In Dino (₹48.47 crore)

Romantic Comeback at the Box Office

With earlier re-releases of romantic films like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (₹22.04 crore) and Sanam Teri Kasam (₹35.55 crore) receiving strong audience response, Saiyaara continues the trend of renewed interest in the romantic genre. It now stands as the genre’s most successful entry in recent years, reaffirming Bollywood’s enduring love affair with love stories.

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