Dangal, Nitesh Tiwari's inspiring biopic on a father's struggle to transform his daughter's into wrestling champions, has taken the Chinese box office by a storm. The film notched up a gross opening day collection of $2.5 million, according to BoxofficeIndia.com. This translates into an approximate collection of Rs16.07 crores in Indian rupees. This will be Aamir Khan's biggest opening day collection in China till date.
The actor has built up a steady reputation in the country with his 3 Idiots (2009) and PK (2014) proving to be box office draws. Dangal's current opening day collection has already exceeded that of PK (2014) which managed $I million on its opening. The Rajkumar Hirani blockbuster went on to become the only Indian film to rake up Rs100 crore at the Chinese box office.
Dangal, titled 'Shuai Baba Jo (Let's Wrestle, Dad), opened across a record 9,000 screens in the country. It is the widest opening for any Indian film in the territory. Speaking to IANS, Amrita Pandey, vice-president, Disney Studios, had mentioned, "We are very excited to release Dangal in China. The film is very special and with a story which has the potential to travel the world and transcend geographies."
Read more: Dangal to get widest release across 9,000 screens in China
The success of Dangal comes on the tail of China increasing the quota of Indian releases to 4 from the previously restricted 2 films a year. The country permits 34 foreign films to be screened annually, which includes the 4 Indian films.
The popularity of Dangal can also be marked down to a conscious marketing strategy, with the tactic of Aamir Khan's visit to Beijing, Shanghai, and Changdu before the film's release.
The other two Indian films to release were Sonu Sood's joint Indo-China production, Kung Fu Yoga (2017) and the comedy, Buddies in India. Both films released on 28 January, and have performed fairly well at the box office.
With the consistency of Aamir Khan's success in the country, a number of producers might be interested in replicating the success. A new market has opened up, it seems.