Despite limited promotion, a modest release strategy and a cast led by debutants, the Hindi musical romance Saiyaara has emerged as one of the biggest box office successes of 2025.
The film, directed by Mohit Suri, released on July 18 and has grossed $46.8 million (Rs 390 crore) worldwide in under two weeks. It is now the second-highest-grossing Indian film of the year, trailing behind only the historical action drama Chhaava.
Historic Opening For A Debutant-Led Film
Starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, Saiyaara has delivered one of the biggest openings ever for a film led by debutants in Indian cinema. It earned Rs 25 crore (approx. $2.9 million) on its opening day in India, with nearly 9.75 lakh tickets sold.
This surpassed the previous debut-led record set by Dhadak (Rs 8.76 crore in 2018).
Highest Opening Day For A Romantic Film
Saiyaara also became the highest opening day for a romantic film in recent years, ahead of Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Rs 11.1 crore), Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya (Rs 6.7 crore), Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar (Rs 15.73 crore) and Kabir Singh (Rs 20.21 crore).
Highest Opening Day Ticket Sales For A Debut Film
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh reported that Saiyaara recorded Rs 9.39 crore in advance bookings before release, with 3.8 lakh tickets sold, including 1.05 lakh in PVR INOX and 33,000 in Cinepolis. This marks the highest opening day ticket sales for a debutant film since 2000, when Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai and Refugee made headlines.
Best Opening Of Mohit Suri's Career
For Mohit Suri, who previously directed Aashiqui 2 and Ek Villain, Saiyaara has become the biggest opener of his career, with a Rs 21 crore nett opening collection. This surpasses his earlier films Ek Villain (Rs 16.70 crore), Murder 2 (Rs 6.95 crore), and Aashiqui 2 (Rs 6.10 crore).
One Of The Top 5 Highest Opening Weekends Of 2025
Despite releasing with just 8,000 screenings across India, less than half of the usual 18,000 for major films, Saiyaara saw sold-out shows in major cities. The film grossed Rs 83 crore in its first weekend, making it one of the top five highest opening weekends of 2025 globally.
According to Comscore, the film earned $11.9 million globally in its opening weekend, debuting at #9 on the global box office chart.
Surpassing Major Star-Led Releases
In just three days, Saiyaara outperformed major star-led releases of the year, including Sky Force (Rs 12.25 crore), Raid 2 (Rs 19.25 crore), Sitaare Zameen Par (Rs 10.7 crore) and Kesari Chapter 2 (Rs 7.75 crore).
It also exceeded the lifetime collections of Maalik (Rs 23.27 crore), Deva (Rs 33.97 crore), Maa (Rs 38.51 crore), The Diplomat (Rs 40.73 crore) and Metro... In Dino (Rs 48.47 crore).
By the end of its first week, Saiyaara secured the second-highest opening week gross of 2025, behind only Chhaava, which earned Rs 219.25 crore in seven days.
Second-Highest-Grossing Hindi Film Of 2025
Saiyaara has now overtaken all major Hindi releases of the year except Chhaava, surpassing Housefull 5 (Rs 127.25 crore), Sikandar (Rs 115 crore), Sky Force (Rs 99.7 crore), Raid 2 (Rs 95.75 crore), and Sitaare Zameen Par (Rs 88.46 crore).
Its week-one total stood at Rs 172.5 crore nett, with a global gross of Rs 248 crore, including Rs 205 crore from India and Rs 43.25 crore from overseas markets.
US Box Office Performance
In the US, Saiyaara grossed $3.24 million in two weeks, released by Yash Raj Films USA. In its second weekend, it collected $1.28 million on 215 screens, making it the ninth highest-grossing film in the country, as per Comscore.
A Romantic Comeback
With the re-releases of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Rs 22.04 crore) and Sanam Teri Kasam (Rs 35.55 crore) drawing good numbers earlier this year, Saiyaara adds to the growing interest in romantic films. It now leads this trend with its strong box office run.
A Historic Spotify Milestone
The title track, Saiyaara, composed by Tanishk Bagchi along with Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami, has become the first Bollywood song to break into Spotify's Global Top 50.
As of now, Saiyaara is sitting pretty at No. 1, beating international heavyweights like Blackpink's Jump, Lady Gaga's Die With A Smile, Billie Eilish's Birds Of A Feather, and Alex Warren's Eternity.
