It was in the early 2000s that Salman Khan was struggling at the box office. From 2000 – 2009 that actor delivered around 18 flops amidst a few hits, and successful films. However, on September 18, 2009, his fate turned, and the actor became the most successful action star of the next decade with Wanted!
Wanted Box Office Collection
Wanted was released on September 18, 2009, and was Salman Khan‘s first Eid release at the box office. The film opened at the box office with an opening of 5.15 crore. It earned 60.50 crore in India and almost 93 crore worldwide. The film was directed by Prabhu Deva, who established Salman as the OG Bhai!
Shah Rukh Khan’s Rejected Film!
Before Salman Khan, Boney Kapoor approached Shah Rukh Khan for this project, which was a remake of a Telugu film Pokiri that was released in 2006 and starred Mahesh Babu in the lead. However, SRK rejected the offer saying, no one could do anything better than Mahesh Babu!
Boney Kapoor then offered the film to his No Entry star Salman Khan, who accepted the offer just because it came through Boney Kapoor. The rest, as they say, is history. Wanted, officiated Eid as a box office marvel for Salman Khan with all his films arriving on Eid!
Wanted VS Pokiri Box Office
Wanted was made on a budget of 35 crore and earned 60.50 crore at the box office. The film registered a profit of almost 72% at the box office. While it worked wonders for Salman Khan, it could not match Pokiri’s success. The Mahesh Babu film was made on a budget of 12 crore and earned almost 36 crore or more, according to Andhra Box Office, churning out 200% at the box office!
While both films were a success, Mahesh Babu’s Pokiri was a bigger hit and one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of its time. Meanwhile, Wanted was the fourth highest Hindi grosser of the year 2009 after 3 Idiots, Love Aaj Kal & Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
