There have been whispers in trade circles that Shah Rukh Khan’s reckless spending on Ra.One may cost him dear. Although nobody knows for sure what the budget of the costliest Hindi film actually is, it is estimated that the superstar-producer may have spent around Rs. 125 crore to make the film. If one were to add another Rs. 25 crore as cost of promotion and release, the total investment in the computer graphics-heavy Ra.One would be Rs. 150 crore. Shah Rukh plans to convert the film into 3D.
However, the position is not as grim as is being made out to be by the industry people. Rather, there’s every chance that Ra.One will cover its huge cost and, in fact, fetch profits. Here’s how:
Ra.One: Projected Overseas Business – Rs. 45 crore
Shah Rukh Khan is the badshah among Bollywood actors in the Overseas circuit. At least ten of his starrers figure in the Top 20 list of Bollywood films in the US and the UK. His last release, My Name Is Khan, crossed the Rs. 35 crore-mark abroad. Given the fact that it would be almost after two years that a Shah Rukh film would be releasing, one can safely estimate the business of Ra.One to increase by 20% over that of MNIK. Besides, Ra.One is being dubbed in German and given King Khan’s supreme popularity in Germany, one can safely add another couple of crore rupees to the Overseas business of Ra.One from the German version. Therefore, a figure of Rs. 45 crore seems achievable for Ra.One. We are talking of distributor’s share here, not net collection.
The five-day net collection of Ra.One could go up to Rs. 100 or even 110 crore!
Ra.One: Satellite Rights – Rs. 40 crore
It is rumoured that Shah Rukh Khan will be richer by Rs. 40 crore when his deal for satellite rights of Ra.One goes through.
Ra.One: Music Rights – Rs. 7 crore
King Khan couldn’t have settled for anything less than Rs.7 crore for the audio rights of his super-hero extravaganza. The figure may be higher than this, but not lower, for sure.
Ra.One: Tamil & Telugu Dubbed Versions’ Business – Rs. 1 crore
In the worst case scenario, the 3D and 2D versions of the Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions of Ra.One can be expected to yield a combined share of Rs. 1 crore.
Ra.One: India Theatrical Business – Rs. 70 crore
Since Ra.One will come on the festive occasion of Diwali and will be released on a Wednesday (October 26), the five-day weekend (Oct. 26-30) can be safely expected to be bountiful. On a conservative estimate, the film could net Rs. 90 crore in the five-day weekend. For a net of Rs. 90 crore, the distributor’s share would easily amount to Rs. 50 crore. So, this would likely be the share for the first five-day weekend. Add a share of at least Rs. 8 crore for the balance four days and you have Rs. 58 crore at the end of the first week itself. Fetching another Rs. 12 crore in the subsequent weeks should not be a problem for the film. Of course, the five-day net collection of Rs. 90 crore is only an estimation. This figure could go up to Rs. 100 or even 110 crore. In that case, the first weekend’s share could go up to Rs. 55 or even 58 crore! If that were to happen, the first week’s India share alone could be Rs. 70 crore.
The calculations and estimations reveal that Ra.One may, after all, not be the risky proposal it is assumed to be by the trade people. Only if, God forbid, the film doesn’t find acceptance will recovery of the unduly high cost of the film be an impossibility for producer Shah Rukh Khan.
Komal Nahta, the Editor of Koimoi.com, is Bollywood’s most trusted trade analyst & film reviewer. You can follow him on Twitter and check out his Video Blog.
