With Secret Superstar and Dangal, Aamir Khan becomes only actor with two $100 million grossers in China
Uncle Mi, as Aamir Khan is fondly called by his scores of Chinese fans, has quietly proved his mettle at the PRC box office once again with the massive success of his latest outing Secret Superstar.
The film, which hit screens on 19 January and completed its third week run yesterday, has cumulatively grossed a mighty $100.86 million (Rs 650 crores) in the China box-office. Aamir Khan has now become the only Indian actor with two films in the $100 million club in China, including his box-office behemoth Dangal, whose unassailable benchmark of $200+ million remains safe.
Now, the entire overseas gross of the film has touched a hefty $109.26 (Rs 705 crores,) which is more than twice the cumulative overseas gross of boundary-busting 2017 hit Baahubali: The Conclusion.
Aamir Khan in a still from Secret Superstar. YouTube
In its 21-day run in China, Secret Superstar comfortably topped the box-office chart, beating the likes of tentpole Hollywood blockbusters such as Jumanji and homegrown holdovers like Forever Young. Secret Superstar was pushed to the second position on 26 and 27 January when Fox’s sci-fi thriller Maze Runner: Death Cure hit the theaters before it reclaimed the top spot on 28 January. The other occasion when Secret Superstar moved to the second place was when the local action-romance drama Till The End of the World reached its second day in theaters on 2 February.
Despite seven new releases from 1 February to 2 February, Secret Superstar topped the box-office in its third weekend.
Now, the total worldwide gross of Secret Superstar stands tall at Rs 784 crores, which is only next to Dangal and SS Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Conclusion. Now, Aamir Khan is the only actor to have three films in the Rs 750 crores club including PK, Dangal, and Secret Superstar, which is all set to breach the Rs 800 crore mark towards the end of its fourth weekend run.
Aamir also dominates the All-Time Top 10 Highest-Grossing Indian Films list with four films to his credit (Dhoom 3, PK, Secret Superstar, Dangal), followed by Salman Khan with three films (Sultan, Bajrangi Bhaijaan) and Prabhas with two films of the Baahuabali series. Deepika Padukone's magnum-opus Padmaavat is the latest entrant in the list at the tenth position, dethroning Shah Rukh Khan's Chennai Express.
Directed by Advait Chandan and starring Zaira Wasim in the lead role, Secret Superstar was made at a shoe-string budget of $2.5 million. With the revenue-sharing (25%) agreement in place for the first time for an Indian film, Aamir Khan's paycheck from the Chinese box-office receipts, as on 8 February, is a lavish Rs 162.5 crores, which is more than twice the movie's total gross from its home territory (Rs 80 crores).
Aamir Khan in Dangal.
With substandard box-performances of Hollywood films such as Star Wars, Jumanji, and Maze Runner, Secret Superstar has now become the highest-grossing import film of 2018 in the PRC. The movie will enjoy a good run until 15 February and before the most-anticipated local animation film, Monster Hunt 2 takes the box-office by storm on the eve of Chinese New Year from 16 February.
Secret Superstar's steady run at the PRC box-office clearly sends a signal that Aamir Khan's star power in the world's second-largest movie market has soared new heights. One can safely say that the Dangal actor's focus on China will increase manifold henceforth considering the overwhelming response he's been receiving for his 22-minute cameo in Secret Superstar.
After China, the makers of Secret Superstar are lining up a Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong release for the film over the next few months. Although it's incredibly difficult for Secret Superstar to cross the Rs 1000 crore mark worldwide, the film's revenue is expected to touch nearly Rs 900 crore or more after the end of its lifetime run.
The next Indian release in the PRC would be Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan on 2 March. Renowned distributor E-Star films is planning to release the film in 8000 screens. The run-time of Bajrangi Bhaijaan in China has been locked at 141 minutes, compared to its original Indian version of 159 minutes. The film, which marks Salman Khan's foray into China, is releasing during the Lantern Festival and good footfalls are expected if it opens to positive word of mouth and ratings on the country's influential movie-aggregating and social platforms such as Maoyan and Douban.
Published Date: Feb 09, 2018 08:43 AM | Updated Date: Feb 09, 2018 08:43 AM
