Dulquer Salmaan’s new release I’m Game opened roughly Rs 1.45 crore behind the day-1 numbers of his 2023 film King of Kotha, according to early trade estimates tracked by industry portals. The gap has become the talking point of the actor’s opening-day report card this week.
Key Takeaways
- I’m Game box office collection on day 1 trailed King of Kotha’s opening-day nett by about Rs 1.45 crore, per trade trackers.
- Both films star Dulquer Salmaan, making the comparison a natural yardstick for his current theatrical pull.
- Weekday releases without a festival bump typically open slower in Kerala, which is the likely context here.
- The real verdict will come from the weekend trend and word-of-mouth over the next two to three days.
What Is I’m Game’s Day 1 Box Office Collection?
Early estimates from trade trackers put the I’m Game box office opening in the low single-digit crore range, a fairly typical first-day number for a Malayalam theatrical release that isn’t backed by a mass pan-India promotional push. These figures are provisional nett numbers and usually get revised — sometimes upward, sometimes downward — once final reconciled data comes in over the following day or two.
It’s worth remembering that day-1 numbers for Malayalam cinema, even for a star as bankable as Dulquer Salmaan, rarely open with the kind of bang associated with big Telugu or Hindi tentpoles. The industry runs on steadier week-on-week growth rather than one explosive opening day, so a modest start doesn’t automatically signal trouble.
How Does I’m Game Compare to King of Kotha’s Opening?
King of Kotha, directed by Abhilash Joshiy and released in July 2023, was itself not a runaway opening-day hit — trade portals had pegged its first-day nett collection as moderate rather than spectacular. Against that same modest benchmark, I’m Game’s day-1 number landing about Rs 1.45 crore lower is a meaningful but not alarming shortfall.
| Metric | I’m Game | King of Kotha |
| Lead actor | Dulquer Salmaan | Dulquer Salmaan |
| Day 1 collection (India) | Trails by ~Rs 1.45 cr | Baseline, released July 2023 |
| Release type | Theatrical | Theatrical |
| Genre | Drama/thriller (as promoted) | Gangster action drama |
Why the Gap Between the Two Openings?
A day-1 shortfall this size can come down to several ordinary factors: the number of screens allotted, whether the release fell on a working day versus a weekend, competing new releases in the same window, and how much promotional buzz built up in the final week before release. None of these alone spell doom for a film’s overall run.
This week is also unusually crowded for Malayalam and pan-India audiences. Mirzapur: The Movie, headlined by Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal, has been dominating conversation on OTT-adjacent platforms, and that kind of noise can pull eyeballs — and opening-day footfall — away from a mid-week theatrical release like I’m Game.
India Angle: Kerala’s Slow-Burn Box Office Culture
Here’s the local nuance that often gets missed in national box-office chatter: Kerala audiences are famously patient. Malayalam films frequently see their real numbers build over the first weekend and through word-of-mouth in the second week, rather than front-loading collections on day one. A star vehicle like I’m Game, riding on Dulquer Salmaan’s fanbase, has historically benefited from exactly this kind of slow-burn trajectory rather than a fireworks opening.
That’s precisely what happened with King of Kotha too — its own opening was unspectacular, yet it went on to have a full theatrical run and later found a wider audience on OTT. If I’m Game follows a similar arc, the day-1 gap of Rs 1.45 crore will matter far less by the time the first week wraps up.
What Does This Mean for Dulquer Salmaan’s Box Office Run?
Dulquer Salmaan has built a career on choosing varied, often unconventional projects across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi cinema, and his opening-day numbers have rarely been the headline of his career — his consistency across genres has been. A trailing start against King of Kotha places I’m Game in familiar territory for him: a film that needs its content and reviews to do the heavy lifting rather than pure star-power hype.
Trade watchers will be tracking the day-2 and day-3 numbers closely. If I’m Game shows growth over the weekend, the day-1 comparison to King of Kotha becomes a footnote rather than a verdict on the film’s fate.
I’m Game Box Office FAQ
What was I’m Game’s day 1 box office collection?
Trade estimates put the I’m Game box office opening day collection at roughly Rs 1.45 crore less than King of Kotha’s day-1 nett, though final numbers are typically revised within a couple of days of release.
Who stars in I’m Game?
The film is headlined by Dulquer Salmaan, who also led the 2023 film King of Kotha that it’s now being compared against.
Was King of Kotha a box office hit?
King of Kotha had a modest opening day itself and built its numbers gradually over its theatrical run before reaching a wider audience through streaming.
Why do Malayalam films often have slow day-1 numbers?
Kerala’s box office culture tends to reward word-of-mouth over opening-day hype, so many Malayalam films, including big star vehicles, see collections grow across the first week rather than peak on day one.
When will I’m Game’s full opening weekend numbers be known?
Trade portals usually finalise weekend collection reports by Monday, once distributors and exhibitors reconcile the day-2 and day-3 figures.
Conclusion
The I’m Game box office story right now is about a Rs 1.45 crore day-1 gap against King of Kotha — a modest shortfall, not a disaster, for a Dulquer Salmaan release. The real picture will emerge once the weekend numbers are in.