)
The business done by Shah Rukh Khan’s films on foreign soil is one of the factors that have over the years brought him fame as the “king of Bollywood”. While his Chennai Express earned 28 per cent of its box-office collections abroad, his Ra.One did 24 per cent and Jab Tak Hai Jaan 32 per cent of their business in foreign markets. However, over the weekend, another Khan appeared closing in on the crown and challenging Shah Rukh’s dominance in the international market.
Yash Raj Films’ (YRF’s) Dhoom 3, in which Aamir Khan has played the villain, has not only beaten Chennai Express to become the largest overseas grosser among Bollywood movies but managed to earn a large portion of its total box-office collections from the international market.
In the first three weeks of its release in global markets (as of Sunday), Dhoom 3 had earned Rs 150.06 crore in gross box-office collections abroad — 31 per cent of its Rs 485-crore domestic gross collections for the Hindi version. Chennai Express had earned Rs 119 crore from global markets.
Besides the traditional markets for Hindi movies, such as the US, UK and West Asia, Dhoom 3 has been received very well in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Singapore, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian markets, too.
Aamir said: “In the first week, we were in the top five or top 10 movies in overseas markets, competing with big Hollywood movies. We knew the theme (of the movie) was universal and would beat language barriers. Dhoom 3 was made for IMAX (image maximum) theatres and was released globally in such theatres.”
With the services of Hollywood stuntmen and special effects team, the movie had been created a larger audience in mind, Aamir added.
Buoyed by the film’s success, YRF is now set to release its dubbed versions in Germany, Peru, Romania, Japan, Russia, CIS (Common-wealth of Independent States), Turkey, Japan, Korea and China, besides some other markets, over the next few days. A spokesperson for YRF said: “Our presence in these markets will be limited, but we are experimenting and want to take Hindi movies there as well.”
Aamir said YRF did not make an aggressive pitch to sell the movie abroad — except for a slick trailer exhibited in these markets. “None of the actors went abroad to promote the film. Our marketing noise was half of what you see for other films. We were not looking at building awareness for the movie... We did not go to GEC (general entertainment channel) TV programmes in the domestic market (to promote the film). We knew the awareness for the movie was already there, “ he added.
DHOOM ON BOX OFFICE, EVERYWHERE
- 5,406 No of screens released on, globally
- Rs 485.10 cr Total collections so far, globally (Hindi) — Tamil and Telegu versions have grossed Rs 12.49 cr
- 4,500 No of screens released on
- Rs 335.04 cr (Rs 270.22 cr after tax) Total collections for Hindi
United stateS & Canada
- 236 No of screens released on
- Rs 47.1 cr Total collections
- 187 No of screens released on
- Rs 23.9 cr Total collections
- 125 No of screens released on
- Rs 37.4 cr Total collections
- 358 No of screens released on
- Rs 41.7 cr Total collections so far
Source: Yash Raj Films
