Bollywood superstar Amir Khan recently shared insights on the blockbuster film “Durandhar,” which took the box office by storm last year. Released on December 5, the film not only became the highest-grossing Indian movie of 2025, but also made history as the first Bollywood film to cross the ₹1,000 crore mark. Currently, a sequel titled “Durandhar-2” is set to hit theaters on March 19, and Khan believes that the film could have achieved even greater financial success if there were more theaters available in India.
Khan pointed out that the scarcity of theaters in the country has significantly impacted the box office collections of “Durandhar.” He emphasized that for big films to succeed financially, India needs to increase its number of theaters. Drawing a comparison with China, where blockbuster films enjoy extensive release opportunities, Khan lamented the lack of similar infrastructure in India. He noted that if “Durandhar” had access to as many theaters as Chinese films, it could have garnered even larger earnings.
In a recent interview, Khan expressed his concerns over the limited number of screens available in India, stating that there are only around 9,000 screens across the nation, compared to approximately 100,000 screens in China. This disparity, he argued, is a major reason why films in China can easily reach staggering box office numbers, with some even crossing the billion-dollar mark. He suggested that increasing the number of screens in India could unlock similar success for Indian films.
Khan also highlighted the significant gap in earnings between Indian and Chinese films. For instance, last year’s Chinese blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” grossed around $2 billion, while “Durandhar” managed to earn only $115 million (approximately ₹1,000 crores) domestically. Globally, “Durandhar” earned less than $150 million. He indicated that if the film had been released in 15,000 screens instead of just 5,000, its success could have been monumental.
Amir Khan stated that the real change in the Indian film industry will come when the number of theaters increases. He mentioned that there are still many districts in India without a single screen. This lack of access to cinemas limits the potential audience for films, which in turn affects their box office performance. Khan’s comments have reignited the discussion on the necessity of expanding cinema infrastructure across the country.
As for Khan’s own recent projects, he appeared in the film “Sitaare Zameen Par” last year, which did not perform as well as expected. Following that, he made guest appearances in “Happy Patel” and Rajinikanth’s “Coolie.” With “Durandhar-2” on the horizon, fans are eager to see how the sequel will perform and whether it can replicate the success of its predecessor, especially in a changing theater landscape.
