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The king is back with a vengeance — Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan has overtaken Aamir Khan starrer Dangal to become the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.
Within 11 days of its release, the spy thriller has grossed ₹780 crore at the worldwide box office, while India gross collections were pegged at ₹481 crore. Net box office collections for the film in India stood at ₹401.40 crore. Dangal had a net box office collections of about ₹375 crore in India.
A resounding hit
Ever since Pathaan released on January 25, it has been setting new records. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the Yash Raj Films’ production has been released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu in over 8,000 screens worldwide.
At the current collection levels, it is the third highest-grossing Indian film right behind Baahubali 2 and KGF Chapter 2. But the Yash Raj spy thriller was the fastest to enter the ₹400-crore club for Hindi box office collections. Baahubali 2 and KGF Chapter 2 entered the ₹400-crore club on day 15 and day 23, respectively.
Kamal Gianchandani, President, Multiplex of Association, posted on Twitter that Pathaan’s success had brought an overnight change in the narrative for Hindi films and theatres. “No more doubting the enduring appeal of movie theatres. Producers are super buoyant and this augurs well for theatres. The lineup of forthcoming films is likely to get a big impetus (sic),” he tweeted.
Changing the script
In 2022, it was southern films that delivered big hits even as Hindi films performed under par. Experts believe Pathaan may lead the recovery of Bollywood. In a report released on January 30, Elara Capital, Senior Vice-President, Karan Taurani noted that the Hindi box office revenue is expected to see recovery to about 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels in the fourth quarter as per early estimates.
Other key Hindi films slated for release during the March quarter include Shehzada, Selfiee and Tu Jhooti Main Makkar.
Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh said, “Bollywood has finally delivered a larger-than-life entertainer, which the Hindi masses were eagerly waiting for. South cinema has been expertly delivering this formula.”
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