With no new Hindi movies opening in the U.S. or Canada on Friday, May 2, 2014, old favorites continued to pull in crowds at the North American box office. The Lunchbox — now in its tenth week — earned $255,736 from 141 screens ($1,814 average), bringing its total earnings to $2,968,497 so far.
2 States also held up well in its third week. It earned $167,377 from ninety-one screens ($1,839 average) to bring its total North American earnings to $1,978,594.
With The Lunchbox set to pass $3 million in North American earnings this week and 2 States about to the clear the $2 million mark, it’s worth noting the significance of these achievements. Both movies are romantic dramas, as opposed to action-packed spectacles. Neither film features A-list superstars (industry and audience respect for Irrfan Khan notwithstanding).
A look at the last five years of box office receipts reveals similarities among the sixteen Hindi films that managed to earn more than $2 million in North America during that period (five in 2013, five in 2012, two in 2011, one in 2010, and two in 2009). Four films are action sequels: Dhoom 3, Krrish 3, Dabangg 2, and Don 2. A small list of actors show up in multiple movies on the list:
- Shahrukh Khan: Chennai Express, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Don 2, Ra.One, and My Name Is Khan
- Deepika Padukone: Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Chennai Express, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Love Aaj Kal
- Katrina Kaif: Dhoom 3, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Ek Tha Tiger, and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
- Aamir Khan: Dhoom 3, Talaash, and 3 Idiots
- Kareena Kapoor Khan: Talaash, Ra.One, and 3 Idiots
- Priyanka Chopra: Krrish 3, Barfi!, and Don 2
- Salman Khan: Dabangg 2 and Ek Tha Tiger
- Ranbir Kapoor: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Barfi!
- Hrithik Roshan: Krrish 3 and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
[Somebody in Bollywood needs to cash in by bringing back Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan for Ra.Two, featuring Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif as the villains.]
The Lunchbox continues to earn big, thanks to its partnership with a Hollywood distributor — Sony Pictures Classics — which has dramatically expanded its potential audience compared to a typical Hindi film. Though movie adaptations of popular books are far rarer in India than in Hollywood, the success of 2 States should start to change that.
The only other Hindi movie showing in the U.S. the weekend of May 2-4 was Queen. Now in its ninth week, it earned $190 from one theater, bringing its total earnings to $1,417,405.
Source: Bollywood Hungama (figures supplied by Rentrak)