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The year looks set to end with a dhoom for Yash Raj Films (YRF), with its latest offering, Dhoom 3, breaking the record for the highest opening-day domestic box-office collections. Raking in a total of Rs 36.22 crore on Day-1, the Aamir Khan-starrer has surpassed Shah Rukh Khan’s Eid blockbuster Chennai Express, which had collected Rs 33.12 crore.
According to details provided by YRF, the Hindi version of the movie collected Rs 33.42 crore, while its dubbed versions (in Tamil and Telugu) collected another Rs 2.8 crore. The Hindi film was released on 4,600 screens — and Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions on 150 and 450, respectively.
Independent distributor and trade analyst Suniel Wadhwa says: “Dhoom 3 (Hindi) set opening-day records in some circuits while in others it was below either Chennai Express or Ek Tha Tiger. It has to be noted that these films released on Eid and Independence Day, respectively, while Dhoom 3 hit the screens on a non-holiday Friday. The film smashed the non-holiday opening record by a huge margin — of more than 50 per cent for original language, if we compare apples to apples for the Hindi version alone. The highest non-holiday Day-1 grosser earlier was Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Rs 19.50 crore).”
The satellite rights for the film, made with a budget of Rs 100-105 crore, have been sold for a whopping Rs 65 crore. According to sources in the know, the rights have been bought by Multi Screen Media, which runs Sony Entertainment Television and SET Max. The channel network and the production house have enjoyed a relationship for some time now — rights for most of YRF’s movies are with MSM.
Apart from the hefty satellite rights fee, the production house has raked in an estimated Rs 20 crore in brand associations and merchandising deals and Rs 9-10 crore from music royalty earned through digital sales, television and radio airings, as the music rights are held by YRF Music. This means, the movie had earned a revenue of Rs 89-90 crore — almost 90 per cent of cost recovery — even before its release. Adding an estimated Rs 50 crore as the producers’ share over the weekend, the movie would have earned YRF a profit of about Rs 40 crore by Monday.
According to Wadhwa, the action thriller set in Chicago could break the record for opening-weekend collection as well. At present, Chennai Express, produced jointly by Disney UTV and Red Chillies Entertainment, holds the record with Rs 94 crore (excluding the Thursday paid preview).
Shaaminder Malik, independent exhibitor and trade analyst (North India) agrees.
He adds: “The film, though met with mixed reviews from critics and on the social media, has had an unbelievable opening. It has done very well in the northern circuits, despite cold weather, which was expected to play spoilsport for the film.”
Wadhwa also points out Aamir Khan’s films released around Christmas have had good box-office runs earlier, too. This is one of the reasons why the industry was very positive about the movie. “Perfectionist Aamir is proving a Santa Claus at the box office, even before celebration for Christmas begins.
Dhoom 3 is set to create history, much like his earlier films — Ghajini (December 24, 2008), which garnered Rs 114 crore, and 3 Idiots (December 23, 2010), which went on to become the first film to cross the Rs 202-crore mark.”
He further adds, looking at the opening Dhoom 3 has received, it has the potential to cross Rs 250 crore.
IN TOP GEAR
Cost of Production
Rs 100-105 cr
Satellite Rights
Rs 65 cr
Brand Association revenue
Rs 20 cr
Music royalty from television and radio airings and digital sales
Rs 9-10 cr
Opening-day collection
Rs 36.22 cr
Expected collection on opening weekend
Rs 110-115 cr
Source: Suniel Wadhwa
