Bollywood is proving to be one of the bright spots for the stagnant US movie theatre industry. My Name is Khan (MNIK), starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol soared past trade expectations in North America by becoming the biggest grossing Bollywood film, in its first weekend.
The movie which opened on Feb 12, made $1.94 million over three days, surpassing a record set in 2007 by Om Shanti Om — which again had Khan in the lead.
Traditionally, Indian film distributors have had to ply the backwaters of the US market, where their movies are frequently booked into third-tier theatres.
But Fox Star Studios has given the Bollywood love story set against the Sept 11 attacks prominent billing by releasing it in 121 theatres in the US and Canada. The strategy has paid off: MNIK has become the biggest three-day grosser in North America by collecting $1,939,000, besting Om Shanti Om’s $1,764,131.
“We had sold-out shows during the weekend in a lot of theatres. There has been a buzz about MNIK — it has scored reviews in L.A Times and CBS News which is unprecedented for an Indian movie,” said an executive at Reliance’s Big Cinemas, which operates 181 screens in the US, ranking as the 25th largest operator in the country.
Valentine’s Day was the top film in US and Canadian theatres this weekend with sales of $52.4 million. MNIK beat Valentine’s Day with a per screen average of $16,158 in North America during the Feb 12-14 weekend.
The movie also earned $2,275,000 in four days, racing past the $2
million mark faster than any other Indian movie in North America. Along the way, MNIK beat its nearest competitor, Three Idiots which grossed $2,149,227 over five days spanning the Christmas holidays in 2009.
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