Hrithik Roshan’s ‘Kaabil’ opens weak in China
With its $2 million earnings, this is one of the worst openings for an Indian film in ChinaBollywood has had a chequered past at Chinese box office recently and Kaabil might not buck this trend either
New Delhi: Action thriller Kaabil, starring Hrithik Roshan, has opened to a poor response in China. The film earned $2 million ( ₹13.87 crore) at last count, one of the worst openings for an Indian film in the country.
“Kaabil has a shockingly low start in China. Needs to score big numbers for a satisfactory extended weekend total," trade analyst Taran Adarsh had tweeted.
“Kaabil is having a terrible run in China. Continues to underperform. No improvement or growth in business," he added a day later.
The film, directed by Sanjay Gupta, is about a visually challenged man who avenges his wife’s sexual assault and death, earned ₹103.84 crore when it released in India in 2017. Trade website Box Office India said there may be a lot of hype around the film in China given that it is Roshan’s first release there but the neighbouring country is not unfamiliar with the thriller genre.
Also, Bollywood has had a chequered couple of months in China lately. While Sridevi-starrer Mom managed to just cross the $16-million mark, black comedy thriller Andhadhun finished at $45.59 million ( ₹318.85 crore) in the country last month, emerging as the third highest grossing Indian film there after Dangal and Secret Superstar. This was after a long unimpressive spell where Indian films hadn’t really managed the best run in China though the market has emerged as a goldmine in the past few years.
Yash Raj Films’ action adventure Thugs of Hindostan only managed a paltry $4.71 million ( ₹32.93 crore) over its opening weekend while Akshay Kumar’s biographical drama Padman registered an unimpressive total of $3.55 million ( ₹25.54 crore). Comedy drama 102 Not Out made $3.56 million ( ₹25.06 crore) in the neighbouring country while Indian blockbuster war epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion too had only mustered about $11.9 million ( ₹80 crore) at the much-coveted Chinese box office.
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