MUMBAI: The highest-grossing Indian movies now consistently surpass $100 million worldwide (about Rs 825 crore right now). Jawan and Pathaan by Shah Rukh Khan both exceeded the threshold this year, whilst RRR and KGF Chapter 2 did so the year before. The list of $100 million grossing films in India keeps growing.
However, despite what the general public believes, the $100 million club did not start recently. In fact, it took more than 40 years for the first Indian movie to surpass that milestone. The movie also had the greatest overseas box office take for an Indian film in 30 years, with several other blockbusters falling short of its historic total.
The 1982 smash blockbuster Disco Dancer starring Mithun Chakraborty was the first Indian movie to gross $100 million overseas. The movie was a hit in India, but its worldwide super blockbuster status drove up its box office earnings. Disco Dancer by Mithun Chakraborty was released in the Soviet Union in the middle of the 1980s, which at the time was the greatest foreign market for Indian movies.
The movie had been popular in India until that point, but it had not made an impact outside. That changed after its publication in Russia. In the Soviet Union, the movie sold an astounding 12 lakh tickets, bringing in 60 million roubles, or around $75.86 million or Rs 94.28 crore. Disco Dancer became the first Indian movie to gross more than Rs 100 crore as a result (it had previously generated Rs 6.4 crore domestically), and it also became the country's largest international success. And it accomplished all of this on a modest $2 crore production budget.
With foreign box office receipts of $75.85 million, Disco Dancer has surpassed blockbusters like Awara and Caravan to become India's largest international success. Ten years later, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge earned nearly Rs 100 crore internationally, surpassing its Rupee profits outside due to inflation. But in terms of money, no movie came close because DDLJ only made roughly $40 million. PK made $53 million, Baahubali 2 $59 million, and My Name is Khan came in far last with only $23 million. RRR, a hit in the US and Japan, brought in $45 million overseas.
Disco Dancer didn't lose the top rank till Bajragi Bhaijaan received its China release in 2016. Disco Dancer was dethroned by the Salman Khan-starring film, which took in $80 million abroad (including China). Since that time, two Indian movies have made more than $100 million abroad. With a $238 million international gross, Aamir Khan's Dangal leads the field, followed by Secret Superstar ($140 million). Both movies performed remarkably well in China. With earnings of $49 million and $46 million, respectively, Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan and Jawan are the highest-grossing Indian movies outside of China.
Also read: What! Meet the film actor who was formerly a Naxalite before starring in a blockbuster film
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Credits - DNA
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