King Holds Dec. 24 Date as SRK Promo Gets CBFC Nod

Shah Rukh Khan's King is not moving. The actor said so himself in September, and this week the film's 45-second promo reportedly cleared the censor board, which suggests the first fresh look in nearly a year may be close. King is set to open on Dec. 24, 2026.

SRK on the date

In an Ask Me Anything session on X, a fan told Khan that King was "stuck between a sandwich," a reference to Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three, both set for Dec. 18. Khan replied, "Not at all... Baaki bread pieces ka bhi toh socho, hum toh center ki tasty Tikki hain," which translates roughly to: think of the other bread slices, we are the tasty filling in the middle. The Indian Express reported his reply on Sept. 15.

Asked whether his son AbRam would watch Doomsday or King first, he wrote, "Pehle to Baap hi ayega beta," meaning the father will come first. Khan has not had a release since Dunki in 2023, so King is his first film in three years.

Injuries, songs and the teaser gap

Khan said in the same session that he had "a few injuries while shooting, so had to start stop many times" and added that the shoot was nearly done. He said the singer Arijit Singh, who has retired from playback singing, was still adding finishing touches to a song. On a new teaser, he said director Siddharth Anand was working hard and "we are late." The last teaser came out in November 2025, when the title reveal was released on Khan's birthday with the line "Darr nahi, Dehshat hoon."

The promo news

Mid-day reports, citing Moneycontrol, that a 45-second promo for King has received certification from the Central Board of Film Certification. It is reportedly set to play alongside theatrical screenings of Ranbir Kapoor's Ramayana. The outlet also cites Movie Talkies as saying the promo may be unveiled on Khan's birthday, Nov. 2. The makers have not confirmed either the plan or the date.

The film

King is directed by Siddharth Anand, who made Pathaan with Khan, and is backed by Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures. It marks Khan's first on-screen collaboration with his daughter, Suhana Khan. The cast reported by Mid-day also includes Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Deepika Padukone, Jaideep Ahlawat, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff. Khan told a fan that working with Deepika Padukone and Rani Mukerji was "the best ever," calling them his best friends.

The budget talk

In July, reports claimed King was made on a budget of Rs 450 crore. The Indian Express notes that the director shut those reports down. No official budget has been published in the coverage we reviewed, so figures floating around should be treated as unconfirmed.

Why the calendar is crowded

Mid-day's weekend roundup points to a packed winter: Ramayana arrives in early November, Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three open Dec. 18, and King follows on Dec. 24. A Christmas-week release also has to survive the holiday-season demand for screens, and Khan's own calm tone suggests the team is comfortable with that.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the CBFC certification from a primary source, since it comes from Moneycontrol via Mid-day. We could not confirm the Nov. 2 unveiling or the Ramayana attachment, and the makers have said neither. We also could not confirm the budget, and the length of the promo comes from the same report. SRK's quotes come from his own posts as reported by the Indian Express, and we have not seen the original thread.

Sources

*Cover photo: Steve Jurvetson, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bollywood_star_Shah_Rukh_Khan_at_TED2017.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bollywood_star_Shah_Rukh_Khan_at_TED2017.jpg)* (CC BY 2.0).*