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Shah Rukh Khan had a resounding 2023 when he made his comeback after four long years, starring in a string of successful movies. His films, Pathaan and Jawan, in particular, induced quite an uproar at the global box office. The DDLJ star’s Pathaan, marketed as his first fully-fledged action spectacle, emerged as an unprecedented success in India and worldwide, especially in Hollywood’s hometown, Tinseltown, where it accomplished something rare. And below is all there is to know!
Pathaan was welcomed by audiences for what registered as a historic day in all box office record books. Its opening-day numbers lifted the film to the number one spot at the North American box office. Scroll to see the massive release it overtook! Pathaan’s extended Republic Day weekend release, while getting Indian viewers in a frenzy, did not have any advantage on a regular weekday in the USA and Canada on that pivotal Wednesday, January 25, 2023. But King Khan’s stardom overseas enabled him to surpass the biggest post-pandemic hit, none other than James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water.
Given how the frigid winter months after the holiday season rarely witness new releases in North America, allowing major films from Thanksgiving and Christmas to stretch their box office run, Avatar 2 was frequently topping the charts until the Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham starrer halted it, causing a major surprise.
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On judgment day, Avatar 2 witnessed the termination of its streak of winning the box office for 40 days post-release, except on January 6, when M3GAN unsettled it (according to The Numbers). The first Avatar sequel, on its 41st day of release, made $1.43 million, according to The Numbers. This figure fell about $50 grand short of Pathaan’s $1.49 million, handing the spotlight to Bollywood.
That’s not to claim Pathaan challenged The Way of Water’s eventual domestic tally of $684 million, as its modest $17 million soon slipped out of the chart, fading into quiet defeat. However, what transpired there on January 25 echoed loudly. Of course, King Khan’s achievement had its thunder stolen the very next day, as yet another foreign film, China’s The Wandering Earth 2, made $1.56 million (as per The Numbers), also surpassing Avatar 2 ($1.44 million), while Pathaan adjusted its outcome to the number three ranking.
While it is incontrovertible to declare that Pathaan dominated the Indian box office for weeks, the notion of a Bollywood film upending Hollywood’s most successful franchise, even if momentarily, seems surreal.
Moreover, it wasn’t merely the North American market, as the YRF Spy Universe installment succeeded globally on its decisive opening day. SRK’s comeback extravaganza earned about $13 million globally, slightly ahead of Avatar: The Way of Water, which settled for a moderate $10 million.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates!
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