After a record opening at the domestic box office with Rs50.75 crore, the earnings of Yash Raj Films' Thugs Of Hindostan have simply fizzled out like a deflated balloon.
The film, starring Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh, has made just Rs131.50 crore nett in the first week, as reported by Boxofficeindia.com.
In normal circumstances, such a figure is not bad, but when the film in question has been made at an estimated cost of Rs300 crore, the numbers are quite underwhelming.
Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, Thugs Of Hindostan is a period film set in the 18th century during the British Raj. Unable to capture the rebel Khudabaksh (Bachchan), deemed a pirate, the British hire a thug named Firangee (Aamir Khan).
If we compare the first week’s figures of Khan’s big films in recent years, Thugs Of Hindostan will take the loser's spot. Khan’s Diwali 2017 release Secret Superstar had a limited release on 1,750 screens and made Rs38.67 crore nett in the first week. The family drama went on to make Rs62 crore nett in its India business. Given the limited number of screens, Secret Superstar was not expected to set records.
Before Secret Superstar, there was Dangal (2016), which set the record for highest-grossing Hindi film, earning Rs374.53 crore nett in domestic business. Dangal had made Rs192.38 crore nett in the first week and was released on 4,250 screens across India.
Dhoom 3 (2013), the last Yash Raj Films project that Aamir Khan had worked in before Thugs Of Hindostan, was not appreciated by critics, but the film went on to earn Rs260.63 crore nett in India business. Dhoom 3, which was released on 3,650 screens, had made Rs173.12 crore nett in the first week.
PK (2014) made Rs337.72 crore nett (a record then) in India. The Rajkumar Hirani film was released on 3,600 screens across India. It made Rs181.26 crore nett in the first week.
Thugs Of Hindostan was released on 5,000 screens (in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu) across India and 2,000 screens overseas. The film is unlikely to make any profit from the domestic business. However, the producer and distributor (both YRF in this case) have recovered most of their costs through ancillary rights.
As per trade sources, Yash Raj Films bagged around Rs110 crore for satellite (Sony Entertainment Television) and digital rights (Amazon Prime Video). The marquee production house is said to have sold the film to Chinese distributor Estars Films for release in China for over $15 million (approximately Rs109 crore). With this, the production house has recovered around Rs220 crore in satellite, digital and China distribution rights.