We all saw this coming as the anticipation for the film was on some other level. Now, the figures for the opening day collections are just in and Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Sanju has emerged as the biggest opener of 2018 surpassing the record previously held by Race 3.

Rajkumar Hirani’s directorial opened to positive response at the box office and fans are completely awestruck with the narration of Sanjay Dutt’s journey in the industry. The hard work of the team has finally paid off as Sanju collected a whopping Rs 34.75 crore on its first day of release.

As per trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Sanju earned Rs 34.75 crore on Friday, making it the biggest opener of 2018 and also the best opening figure for the lead star Ranbir. Adarsh also indicates towards a very strong prediction of the film grossing Rs 100 crore in the opening weekend, courtesy the immense buzz surrounding the film.

Non-holiday… Non-festival release… Yet, #Sanju packs a PHENOMENAL TOTAL on Day 1… Emerges the BIGGEST OPENER of 2018 [so far]… Also, Ranbir’s HIGHEST OPENER to date… Expected to cross ₹ 100 cr in 3 days, as per trends… Fri ₹ 34.75 cr. India biz. TOP 5 – 2018 Opening Day biz… 1. #Sanju ₹ 34.75 cr 2. #Race3 ₹ 29.17 cr 3. #Baaghi2 ₹ 25.10 cr 4. #Padmaavat ₹ 19 cr [Thu release; incl Wed previews ₹ 24 cr] 5. #VeereDiWedding ₹ 10.70 cr India biz. [Hollywood films not included] Ranbir Kapoor – Opening Day biz… 1. #Sanju ₹ 34.75 cr 2. #Besharam ₹ 21.56 cr 3. #YJHD ₹ 19.45 cr 4. #ADHM ₹ 13.30 cr 5. #Tamasha ₹ 10.94 cr India biz.

A post shared by Taran Adarsh (@taranadarsh) on Jun 29, 2018 at 11:29pm PDT

The film has all the elements of both a commercial and critical success, something for which Hirani is popular for delivering five back-to-back blockbusters in his 15-year-old career in the industry.

Sanju is a much-needed push in Ranbir’s career as the actor’s success ratio at the box office is not very impressive. Apart from the rave reviews Ranbir has received for nailing the character of Sanjay Dutt in reel life this biopic is surely going to turn the tables for Ranbir both in terms of audience size and box office numbers.

Coming back to the film, if the film is able to nail the task of grossing Rs 100 crore in the opening weekend then it will join the likes of Padmaavat, Race 3 and Hollywood’s mega blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War.

Sanju, which is based on the life of actor Sanjay Dutt, showcases mainly three facets of his life — his drug abuse, his many affairs and his imprisonment term. The film seems to have hit on the right note with the fans and critics alike.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, Sanju stars Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala, Vicky Kaushal, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Jim Sarbh and Boman Irani. The film was released worldwide on June 29.