Dangal wrestles highest grosser title with Rs 345-cr collections
Latest Business News - Dangal is now the highest grossing Bollywood film, as the Aamir Khan-starrer finished its third weekend in India at Rs 345.3 crore. It has beaten 2014's PK (also starring Aamir Khan), which held the record for the highest grosser at Rs 340 crore. The lifetime collection for Dangal is expected to be in the range of Rs 360-365 crore as it has potentially one more weekend to milk. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari and produced by Disney India, the film tracks the journey of the Phogat sisters from their village in Harayana to the Indian wrestling team. Aamir Khan plays the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat, father to Geeta and Babita Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Sheikh and Sanya Malhotra, respectively). It was released on December 23 on 4,300 screens across the country and has been made tax-free in Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Haryana. Not only has Dangal become the highest collecting Bollywood film in India, it is also one of the more profitable films this year. Made at approximately Rs 90 crore, the film broke even in the first week even for the producer.
In India, the producer's share is 50% of the collections after tax. So for Dangal’s producers to start making money, the film needed to make at least Rs 180 crore (at 50%, the producer’s share would be Rs 90 crore). In its first week, the film made Rs 197 crore. Currently, the film’s profitability at the domestic box office is 283% while the returns on investment for the producers is around 92%. Considering the environment of demonetisation, the film’s success is a welcome relief for the industry. Without it, 2016 could have ended as one of the worst years for Bollywood in recent years. Experts peg the negative impact of demonetisation on the film at less than 10% as the movie managed to retain occupancy on the back of positive word-of-mouth feedback and tax-free status in key areas for Bollywood. Another feather in the movie's cap has been the success of the dubbed versions of the film. The film was released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and in the first weekend, the south Indian versions netted around Rs 1 crore, a commendable feat for a Hindi film. Overseas, the film has surpassed PK as the most successful Indian film in North America and Australia. In North America, it has collected $11 million so far and in Australia, it has collected $1.76 million. In both cases, it has surpassed the previous record set by PK — $10.5 million in US and approximately $1.6 million in Australia.
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