3 Idiots becomes highest-grossing Indian film in North America

CommentFuelled by the kind of repeat business hardly seen for an Indian film, Rajkumar Hirani's [ Images ] 3 Idiots became the highest grossing Indian language film in North America, beating Deepa Mehta's Water by about 10 percent.

Defying the usual 50-60 percent second weekend attrition for Indian films, the juggernaut of a movie came down by a miniscule nine percent. It grossed $1.4 million over the weekend, taking its 12 day total to $4.7 million in North America on January 3.

Its distributor Reliance [ Get Quote ] Big Pictures says the film had many houseful shows over the weekend. It was at the number 12 spot on the box office chart, at the same position it held last week. The chart was led by Avatar which grossed a mighty $68 million.

The theatre count for 3 Idiots went up by 13 to 132. The film became an event, hurting badly the over eager counterfeit DVD manufacturers.

With schools and colleges opening this week, the weekday collections are bound to come down for all movies across America Even if 3 Idiots comes down by 50 percent in the subsequent weeks, it could end its run with a formidable with $6 million. But trade pundits say they will not be surprised if it reaches $7 million.

Add to it another $6 million expected from the United Kingdom, the Middle East and in Asian territories such as Hong Kong, you have the highest grossing Indian film of all times in the international markets.

Coming in the wake of the so-so run for the big budget Kurbaan [ Images ] (about $850,000 in North America) and the total washout performances of London Dreams [ Images ] and Paa, the booming business of 3 Idiots have given a boost to the morale of exhibitors who show Hindi language films. Even though the film was mostly released in the theatres owned by Reliance, its success itself has ended the theory that the overseas market is drying up fast because of recession.

Several exhibitors believe that if a large number of Hindi language movies haven't done well in the overseas markets in the past two years it is primarily because they are not able to connect with the audiences. "There is no recession for Hollywood movies," said one theatre owner. "Why should there be one for Indian films?"

Exhibitors will not openly say it because they don't want to upset Indian film makers but anonymously they complain that while technologically the Hindi movies have improved a lot, they are still obsessed with running its stars around the trees and making amorous declarations.

"We do not know if Kurbaan has to be taken as a love story or a drama about terrorism," said one exhibitor. "3 Idiots is refreshingly different from the standard Bollywood (fare). It never insulted the audience's intelligence, even if Aamir Khan [ Images ] plays a college student."

Arthur J Pais in New York

3 Idiots smashes records overseas

CommentA group of desi college students lined up at a theatre in New York on December 25 to watch their second film of the day, Avatar. But they just could not stop talking about the film they had just seen, Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots.

One of the women in the group commented, '3 Idiots is going to be our Avatar.'

And she may be right.

3 Idiots has shattered many records, and has grossed $ 21 million in four days across the globe. The film made about $2.1 million in North America and about $800,000 in the UK in five days. It could have reached the $1 million mark in UK if the theatres weren't closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

The film stood at the number 12th spot on the American box office charts and number four in UK. The charts were led by Avatar's $ 75 million.

North American and UK grosses often help a breakeven film in India become an overall hit, and help films like Shah Rukh Khan's Paheli recoup the investment (Paheli was a flop in India but grossed a healthy $4 million abroad).

There is no entertainment tax in America and Canada as there is in India, and so producers can get about 60 percent of the box office gross, unlike in India where they get about 45 percent -- unless the government gives the film a tax break.

Director Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots -- starring Aamir Khan, R Madhavan ,Sharman Joshi and Kareena Kapoor [ -- was expected to become a big hit. But who would have thought that it would have the biggest opening for a Hindi film in India (beating Ghajini's record by about 20 percent)? And that it would have an awesome opening in North America?

3 Idiots made $1.6 million during the Christmas weekend and beat the jaw-dropping weekend openings of two films, Love Aaj Kal ($1.24 million, in August) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham ($1.1 million, 2001). Of course, tickets were about 20 percent less in 2001 than the average $8 ticket today.