Rang de Basanti scores in US, UK
Arthur J Pais | February 28, 2006 16:33 IST
Aamir Khan's biggest hit abroad, Rang De Basanti, passed the $2 million
benchmark in America on Sunday. The film, which has already grossed over
$600,000 more than Aamir's Oscar-nominated Lagaan in North America, has also
harvested about $1.5 million in the United Kingdom.
At the current rate of attrition, the film, which is getting plenty of repeat
audiences, could end its run in America and the UK with at least $3.85 million.
Adding its gross in the Gulf, Australia, Singapore, South Africa and the
Caribbean takes the total to $4.5 million. It could end its overseas run with a
spectacular $5 million gross. Still, this isn't big enough to come anywhere
near the $8 million gross of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.
Rang De Basanti
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In the final reckoning, it could gross two times the money Lagaan made abroad
and more than three times the gross of Aamir's successful but ill-fated
(because of its exorbitant $8 million production cost) Mangal Pandey: The
Rising.
"I could not believe how compelling the film (RDB) is and how well written its
characters are," said a young man at a recent screening in Manhattan, admitting
that he knew nothing of Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries extolled in the
film. "What is also amazing is that we accept Aamir as someone who has been out
of college for five years, though he looks much older even for that part," he
continued. "He has a lot of charisma."
So potent is the film that, in its fifth week, it grossed $25,000 over the
weekend -- more than what newcomer Taxi 9211 took in three days across North
America in its opening weekend. Both films were released by UTV. RDB is the
highest grossing film for UTV following such hits as Swades, which grossed
about $1.2 million in North America.
"After a long time, there is a film with return visit value," said UTV's Lokesh
Dhar, adding that despite inclement weather, many families made time to see RDB
over the weekend. In several movie houses in the New York-New Jersey area, and
in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago, it had more full houses in its
fourth week than in the second week. "Suddenly, people who saw RDB two or three
weeks ago yearn to see it on the big screen all over again," said Dhar. "They
want to see it with friends and family." He also added that though A R Rahman's
music had become popular soon after its release, it is only in the last two
weeks that it has "reached super hit status."
Though the film could end up with significantly less than what Kabhi Kushi
Kabhie Gham took in North America in 2001, the latter was a multiple starrer.
The K3G star cast included Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Directed
by Karan Johar, who had made a big splash with the 1998 mega hit Kuch Kuch Hota
Hain, K3G grossed about $2.9 million in North America and $4.2 million in the
United Kingdom.
Johar is one of very few directors in India whose name deserves to be above the
title of a film, but Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra was a non-entity. His first film
Aks was a box-office turnip, yet that factor did not deter audiences from
embracing RDB from Day 1. Another key factor to be remembered is that RDB,
given the subject of the Indian political system, could not have drawn a
significant number of viewers from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
http://us.rediff.com/movies/2006/feb/28rangde.htm?q=mbp&file=.htm
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