King: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone Film's Theatrical Rights Sold For THIS Whopping Price; YRF, Dharma, Jio Lose Race - Report

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Rukh Khan's upcoming actioner King is already massive months before its release. The film, directed by Siddharth Anand and produced under Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures, is said to be mounted on a jaw-dropping budget of Rs 400 crores. The cast is as star-studded as it could get. Now, a big business development has proved why King could turn out to be one of the biggest Bollywood film ever. The all-India theatrical distribution rights of King have reportedly been sold for a record price.

Shah Rukh Khan's King Strikes Massive Deal

According to a report by Bollywood Hungama, Pen Marudhar has acquired the all-India theatrical distribution rights of King for a whopping Rs 250 crores, making it one of the biggest such deals of the year. The distributor has a well-established history with Shah Rukh Khan's banner, having previously released blockbusters like Jawan, Dunki, Zero, Badla, and Ittefaq.The domestic rights saw fierce competition before the deal was finalised. Prominent players including AA Films, Jio Studios, PVR INOX Pictures, Yash Raj Films, and Dharma Productions were all in the running. The scale of the bidding war itself reflects just how much confidence the trade has in Shah Rukh Khan's box office power.

King is slated to release in December, with Hollywood biggies Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three scheduled to arrive a week earlier, meaning there will be no direct head-on clash among them. SRK and his team were clearly looking for a strong distribution partner to handle the competitive holiday window.

King Release Date And Cast

King is scheduled for a grand theatrical release on December 24, 2026. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan as a sleek, highly skilled assassin, with his daughter Suhana Khan playing his protégé, an apprentice learning the ropes of a dangerous world under his guidance. This also marks Suhana's first full-length theatrical debut.The ensemble cast includes Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan as the primary antagonist, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Rani Mukerji, Arshad Warsi, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Raghav Juyal. The film's score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is also reported to have contributed to a track for the film.King will mark King Khan's return to the big screen after 3 years. His last release was Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki in December 2023. That year SRK had three mega releases including Pathaan and Jawan, which revived the Hindi box office and set new major records.