Avengers Infinity War stuns with biggest Hollywood debut in India, beats Dangal, PK

Marvel’s box office behemoth, Avengers: Infinity War, has delivered the biggest opening day of any Hollywood film in India, beating the likes of Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in the process.

Avengers Infinity War Updated: Apr 28, 2018 14:05 IST
This image released by Marvel Studios shows, from left, Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Wong in a scene from Avengers: Infinity War.(AP)

Avengers: Infinity War, the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has registered an opening of Rs 31 crore (Rs 40 crore gross) in India, which makes it the biggest opening collection of any Hollywood movie in the country.

According to a statement by Disney India, the film’s debut ranks higher than Bollywood hits such as Dangal, PK, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Tubelight, Bodyguard, Dilwale, Raees and recent releases like Baaghi 2 and Padmaavat.

The film, released in four languages - Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu - across the country in over 2000 screens, registered higher opening day occupancy than the Hindi release of Baahubali 2.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted the figures on Saturday, declaring it to be a watershed moment for Hollywood movies in India.

By comparison, Baaghi 2 opened to Rs 25 crore, the controversial historical epic Padmaavat made Rs 19 crore (after a Rs 24 crore Wednesday preview haul) and PadMan debuted to Rs 10 crore.

Internationally, Avengers: Infinity War is predicted to make over $500 million in the opening weekend and has already raked in more than $100 million. Marvel Studios reported on Friday that it scooped up $39 million in North America from Thursday-night previews, the highest preview haul for a Marvel film and the fourth biggest preview gross ever.

Baahubali 2 retains the top spot at the India box office, with nett takings of Rs 40 crore on its opening day. SS Rajamouli’s fantasy epic is followed by Salman Khan’s Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo (Rs 39 crore) and Sultan (36 crore). Infinity War’s Rs 31 crore nett earnings pit it against Singham Returns (Rs 31.6 crore) and Ek Tha Tiger (Rs 30 crore).

All eyes are now directed towards how much the movie makes in its opening weekend in the US, where Star Wars’ record of $247.9 million is within reach.

All figures Box Office India

Follow @htshowbiz for more