Pathaan has already created a storm. The film, which marks the return of Shah Rukh Khan to the big screen after four years, minted about Rs 1 crore within just hours of the start of its advance booking.

Although the advance booking of the film was supposed to commence on January 20, in certain theatres in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, the tickets went live a little early. The tickets were apparently sold out within five hours and earned the film Rs 1 crore, six days before its release.

Predicting the business of the film, producer and trade analyst Girish Johar told ETimes, “Pathaan has generated a lot of curiosity not only amongst the fans in India but worldwide. It's going to take a fantastic start on Wednesday, January 25, which is a non-holiday. I peg a start ranging between 35 and 37 crores. If the start is in this range it will be a fantastic one.”

Pathaan was subject to a lot of controversy and boycott calls recently. Its song, Besharam Rang came in the line of fire after right-wing groups protested against Deepika Padukone donning an orange bikini in the song. The film is being boycotted and trolled on Twitter almost everyday but seems like it won’t affect its box office.

The film also stars John Abraham. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the Yash Raj production will hit theatres on January 25.