Which is the biggest grosser among Bollywood films in the United States?
The record — at $ 6.5 million so far — is currently held by Raj Kumar Hirani's Aamir Khan starrer 3 Idiots. But Karan Johar’s Shahrukh Khan blockbuster My Name is Khan (MNIK) is rapidly catching up.
My Name Is Khan had a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office in North America, grossing nearly $1.94 million between Friday and Sunday, following its release on February 12. It didn’t show a drop in collection with the Sunday figure of $ 761,000 marking the highest one-day gross for any Hindi-language film in the territory. The film should easily cross the $ 2 million mark in its first week itself.
But can it keep going long enough to overhaul 3 Idiots?
“It will easily beat 3 Idiots,” said Shiraz Jiyani, owner of a six screen theatre at Lakewood, near Los Angeles. “It had surpassed 3 Idiots in advance bookings.”
The critical reception to 3 Idiots however, was considerably better than to MNIK. In the US, reviews matter.
“The repeat value of 3 Idiots is much higher,” said Shariq Hamid, who owns four cinemas in Texas. “The audience reaction to MINK has been mixed.”
{{/usCountry}}“The repeat value of 3 Idiots is much higher,” said Shariq Hamid, who owns four cinemas in Texas. “The audience reaction to MINK has been mixed.”
{{/usCountry}}However, Shah Rukh Khan films have always done well in the US. The record 3 Idiots broke was that of Om Shanti Om.