Sultan Box Office: Viewers flock to watch Salman Khan in action on opening day

Salman Khan's Sultan enjoyed a stellar opening day at the Box Office, raking in a whopping Rs 36.54 crore on 6 July.

With this, Sultan is now Salman's second highest opener after his Diwali 2015 release, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, which collected Rs 40.35 crore.

The sports drama recorded near 90% occupancy in the morning shows. The afternoon shows saw a dip in attendance but occupancy gained momentum again in the late evening and night shows. New records were set at mass centres like Rajasthan, East Punjab and Central India. However, occupancy was low in Muslim-dominated areas in Gujarat, Nizam and UP, owing to Eid.

Also Read: Here's how we think Salman Khan's Sultan will perform at the Box Office

While the Delhi and Mumbai circuits opened with a phenomenal response, the southern circuits also witnessed crowds in huge numbers.

Had Sultan released on Eid day (7 July), it would have crossed the Rs 45 crore mark. After a loaded Day 1, the business will experience a minor drop of around 10% on 7 July.

Sultan now looks to become the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year in merely four days - a position currently held by Airlift which collected Rs 128 crore.

The film has received positive reviews from the critics. However, it is difficult to gauge audience word of mouth.

Here's a closer look at how much it took to make Sultan happen:

• Cost of production: Rs 70 crore (Excluding Salman Khan's acting fees)
• Print and Publicity: Rs 20 crore
• Total: Rs 90 crore