Sholay Final Cut Box Office: Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan’s Film Inches Towards Rs 1.5 Crore Mark

Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra’s cult classic, Sholay, completed 50 years this August. To mark the significant milestone, director-producer Ramesh Sippy in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), announced a theatrical re-release on December 12.

Titled Sholay: The Final Cut, the restored version features previously deleted scenes along with Sippy’s original dream ending, in which Thakur kills Gabbar. The film also serves as a moving tribute to Dharmandera, who died on November 24.

The film was released at a time when Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar continues to dominate the box office. Despite the tough competition, Sholay: The Final Cut is holding its ground and is heading towards the Rs 1.5 crore mark within three days of its release.

Sholay” The Final Cut Box Office Collection

The announcement came with a bold claim that the 1975 classic would return to cinemas across 1,500 screens in India. Made on November 15, the promise fell short on release day, as Sholay: The Final Cut secured only 373 shows nationwide, recording a low overall occupancy of 13.14%.

According to Sacnilk, the film earned approximately Rs 30 lakh on its release day, falling well short of expectations for what was projected as the “biggest-ever re-release of a restored film.”

On Saturday, the film earned Rs 50 lakh, followed by Rs 60 lakh on Sunday, taking its net total to Rs1.40 crore. At this pace, the film is expected to reach the Rs 1.50 crore mark soon.

Why the 1975 Cult Classic Failed to Meet Expectations on Its Re-release

As per the industry insiders the box-office dominance of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar significantly limited both the screen count and audience turnout for Sholay. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “On November 15, the team behind Sholay: The Final Cut—restoration partner Film Heritage Foundation and producers Sippy Films—announced the December 12 release. Interestingly, FHF’s social media post claimed the film would release on 1,500 screens. However, this figure was conspicuously absent from the posts of Sippy Films and Pen.”

Trouble for the film reportedly surfaced early at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, where Sholay: The Final Cut was slated for a special screening that was suddenly called off. While the official explanation cited Dharmendra’s sudden demise, industry buzz later pointed to technical issues from the makers’ end as the likely reason.

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The claim of a 1,500-screen release for a 50-year-old film also raised serious doubts within trade circles, especially with its release positioned dangerously close to Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar. The report quoted a source: “Sholay: The Final Cut was originally slated to release a week after Dhurandhar and would also have clashed with Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2, backed by Disney-Star Studio18.

That alone makes the 1,500-screen claim puzzling. As expected, the film is struggling to even reach 1,000 screens. The team is fortunate to have Pen Marudhar Entertainment as its distributor, which used its goodwill and extensive network to secure as many theatres as possible. But a 1,500-screen release was next to impossible.”

Makers have restored the film using its original 70mm materials, delivering a sharp 4K version with Dolby 5.1 sound. The restored cut has a runtime of 209.05 minutes, making it longer than the original 1975 theatrical release.