While we expected Shah Rukh Khan to end this year with a bang, seems like it's a distant dream now. Salman Khan's Race 3 and Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan were heavily criticised by critics for their shallow content but the movies were able to mint money at least on its opening day. Blame it on Salman's star power or the trust that viewers have on Aamir but Thugs of Hindostan and Race 3 witnessed some great first day collections, unlike SRK's Zero. Popular trade analyst, Taran Adarsh took to his Twitter account to reveal the film's first-day business of Rs 20-14 crores. Yes, far lesser than his contemporaries. Shah Rukh Khan's Zero, Ranbir Kapoor's Sanju, Rajinikanth's 2.0 - 13 Most Divisive Films to Come Out in 2018.

While Thugs of Hindostan is still the highest day one earning in Bollywood with Rs 52.25 crores, Race 3 was able to mint Rs 29.17 crores. The number game plays a crucial role in determining a film's success these days and Zero will have to buck up in the coming days to enjoy a decent and steady business. Is Katrina Kaif The Unsung Hero Of Shah Rukh Khan's Zero?

Coming to the top 5 performers of 2018 (first-day collections), Aamir retains the numero uno position while Ranbir comes in second. Have a look at the top 5 earning films of 2018 in terms of their opening day collections.

Aamir Khan's Thugs of Hindostan -  Rs 52.25 crore (Hindi + Tamil + Telugu)

Ranbir Kapoor's Sanju - Rs 34.75 crore

Salman Khan's Race 3 - Rs 29.17 crore

Akshay Kumar's Gold - Rs 25.25 crores

Tiger Shroff's Baaghi 2 - Baaghi 2 – Rs 25.10 crore

Let's hope Christmas works in Zero's favour and the film is able to cash in on holidays. With Ranveer Singh's Simmba releasing next week, SRK's movie has only one week to enjoy a free run, post which the battle will intensify.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 22, 2018 10:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).