Movie World
Bollywood Films that excelled in box-office in China – Part 5
Hindi Medium
By Dinesh Kamath
China has become a big market for
Bollywood films and almost every big film that hits the theatres in India is
released there to gain more profits as the country has proved to be quite
beneficial for the makers. The Bollywood movie ‘Hindi Medium’ has impressed the
audience in China to the extent that they have made some big bucks at the cash
counters there. The film Hindi Medium’s box-office collection in China is Rs
219.17 crore. The director is Saket Chaudhary.
Starring Irrfan Khan and Saba
Qamar, this film had an unusual story that stayed with the audience long after
they exited the cinema halls. The story centres around Raj and Mita Batra who
are ready to go to any lengths after they learn that their background is holding
their daughter back from getting admitted into a posh school. The film was an
out and out entertainer with a message and that truly was its USP.
Hindi Medium is a 2017 Indian
Hindi-language comedy-drama film, written by Zeenat Lakhani and directed by Saket
Chaudhary. The film stars Irrfan Khan and Saba Qamar in the lead roles, with
Deepak Dobriyal and Dishita Sehgal in supporting roles, and was produced by
T-Series and Maddock Films. The film tells the story of a couple who aspire to
give their daughter the best education. The plot deals with social themes
including education, parenting, class, social mobility, and language. It is a
remake of 2015 Malayalam film Salt Mango Tree.
The film was released on 19 May
2017, to critical acclaim. Produced on a limited budget of ₹23 crore (US$3.2
million), the film became a sleeper hit in India and China. It is Irrfan Khan's
highest-grossing Hindi film, and the Bollywood debut of Pakistani actress Saba
Qamar.
It has grossed ₹3.401 billion
($52.39 million) at the worldwide box office, including over $34 million in
China alone, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The
film received six major nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best
Director for Choudhary, Best Actor (Critics) for Khan, Best Actress for Qamar,
and Best Supporting Actor for Dobriyal. It won two Filmfare Awards, including
Best Film and Best Actor for Khan.
Release in China
The film was released worldwide on
19 May 2017. Hindi Medium was declared 'tax-free' in Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.
The satellite rights of Hindi
Medium, along with Raabta, were sold to Sony Pictures Networks.
In February 2018, following the
success of Aamir Khan films such as Dangal and Secret Superstar in China, it
was announced that Hindi Medium was to be released in China. Following the
successful release of Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) in China, it was
announced that Hindi Medium would release in China on 4 April 2018, for
Qingming Festival. The film's Chinese title is 起跑线 (Qi Pao Xian), which means The
Starting Line. The film is also set to release in Taiwan.
Box Office in China
The film grossed US$2.2 million
(₹14.25 crore) overseas in 2017.[28] Following its April 2018 release in China,
the film crossed ₹200 crore ($31 million) overseas, becoming the seventh Indian
film to cross the $30 million mark at the overseas box office. It also
surpassed the overseas gross of 2018's highest-grossing Indian film Padmaavat.
On its opening day in China, on 4
April 2018, the film grossed US$3.68 million (₹24.71 crore). It entered the box
office at number-two, behind only Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, and
ahead of new Chinese film releases Nuts and Wrath Of Silence as well as
holdover Pacific Rim: Uprising. Hindi Medium surpassed Aamir Khan's Dangal and
Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan to have the second highest opening day for an
Indian film in China, behind only Aamir Khan's Secret Superstar. On its second
day, Hindi Medium grossed $6.3 million (₹40.37 crore), remaining at number-two,
ahead of two new releases, Russian film The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice and
Chinese film Cats and Peachtopia. This gave Hindi Medium a two-day gross of
$9.71 million (₹65.08 crore). The film's opening three-day gross was $16
million (₹104.2 crore). It became the second movie globally to cross the
lifetime gross of its home theatres (India) in just three days of its release
in any foreign market (China), after Secret Superstar.
In four days, it grossed $20
million. By the end of its first weekend, the film's opening five-day gross was
$22.4 million (₹146 crore). It was number-two in China during the Qingming
Festival and the weekend, and entered the international weekend box office at
fifth place. Its success is attributed to strong word-of-mouth, helped by a 9.1
rating at Maoyan, as well as Irrfan Khan's recognition among Chinese audiences
from international films such as Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Life
of Pi. Hindi Medium's strong word-of-mouth is attributed to social themes
resonating with Chinese audiences, including education, parenting, class, social
mobility, and language. Hindi Medium's opening audiences were about 58% female
and 42% male, and the majority were in the 20-34 age group. Hindi Medium was at
number-three in its second week at the box office. In 22 days, Hindi Medium
grossed $34.32 million (₹223.46 crore).
No comments:
Post a Comment