Tag Archives: Fan

Streaming Video News: November 7, 2025

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with today’s premiere of the Original Hindi film Baramulla. Yesterday saw the surprise addition of the September Hindi theatrical release Ek Chatur Naar. If you didn’t read my piece about the YRF catalogue’s return to Netflix (and their special release schedule), here are all the titles that were added November 1:

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Hulu with this week’s premiere of the Original Tamil film Bad Girl (also available in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu).

Finally, I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with the streaming debut of the Telugu film Mithra Mandali. Prime also released the trailer for Season 3 of The Family Man, releasing November 21:

[Disclaimer: my Amazon links include an affiliate tag, and I may earn a commission on purchases made via those links. Thanks for helping to support this website!]

YRF Movies Return to Netflix

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After almost a decade on Amazon Prime, the Yash Raj Films catalogue is back on Netflix — sort of. The seven movies that released from 2021-2023 are still on Prime for now, and only a handful of YRF movies are currently available on Netflix. Here’s why.

Netflix and YRF announced that are making the reintroduction of the back catalogue into a series of events, adding movies around a theme a few at a time. Besides the addition of War to augment the recently added War 2, the first theme was a celebration of Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday (November 2). The following films were added to Netflix on November 1:

There are at least seven more themed events to come through the end of 2025 and into early 2026. YRF and Netflix didn’t specify all the titles being added for every event. December’s Holiday Season event is especially busy, with two new films added each day from December 12-28.

I actually like this idea, as it draws attention to titles that folks may have forgotten about or missed when they initially released. It would be easy to overlook the individual titles if the whole 70-ish catalogue was added at once, so it’s nice to give different films the spotlight. These are ready-made marathons are kinda cool.

Here’s the schedule that’s been announced, with dates and themes. Note that the dates announced are for midnight in India, so we may actually get them in the United States on the afternoon of the day before. (Being able to watch a Dhoom marathon on Thanksgiving would kick ass.) Where possible, I’ve added links to the old Netflix catalogue entries from 2015 so you can add the movies to your “Remind Me” queue, if you wish. At the very bottom, I’ve added any of the other YRF titles I still have working links for that weren’t mentioned in the above press release.

November 13 — Classic YRF

November 28 — The Dhoom trilogy

December 5 — Ranveer Singh’s 15-year anniversary

December 12-28 — Holiday Season (two new films per day)

  • Bunty Aur Babli (2005)
  • Hum Tum (2004)
  • Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002)
  • Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)
  • Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008) — ★★½

December 27 — Salman Khan’s birthday

January 22, 2026 — Mardaani franchise

February 7, 2026  — Valentine’s Day (8 films total)

  • Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) — ★★★★
  • Ishaqzaade (2012) — ★★★½
  • Saathiya (2002)
  • Salaam Namaste (2005)

Other YRF movies with links but no release date yet:

What do you think of this release strategy? Do you like this mini-events, or would you rather have the whole catalogue available at once?

Bollywood Box Office: October 7-9, 2016

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If you’re squeamish, you may not want to look at the gruesome opening weekend numbers for Mirzya in North America. From October 7-9, 2016, Mirzya earned $54,717 from 111 theaters ($493 average). The modern adaptation of a Punjabi folktale fared significantly better in Canada, which contributed 28% of the gross earnings ($15,111) from 14% of the total theaters (16). The per-theater average in Canada was $944, versus $417 in the United States. [Update: Sumit Chadha of Reliance Entertainment told me via Twitter that the total number of theaters was 95 — 79 in the US and 16 in Canada. That would make the US per-theater average $501 and the combined average $575. Even with the revised numbers, Canada’s contribution was still outsized.]

It is really, really hard to launch new Bollywood stars in North America. Heck, even films starring well known supporting actors in lead roles struggle to make money here (looking at you, Banjo). Thus, it made absolutely zero sense to release Mirzya — which stars newbies Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher — into 111 theaters. The ceiling is simply too low. Even if Mirzya had earned the exact same amount from half as many theaters, that would have only boosted its per-theater average to about $1,000, which is still way below average.

Every other Hindi film to open in more than 100 theaters here this year earned at least $250,000 in its first weekend, with per-theater averages greater than $2,000. As enjoyable as Mirzya is, it was never going to hit those benchmarks. Better to have started with a smaller footprint and added theaters based on demand. With no such demand, this opening weekend just looks awful.

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story held up okay in its second weekend. It earned another $277,863 from 259 theaters ($1,073 average). Its total earnings of $1,611,755 rank it in seventh place for the year so far in North America. Its second-weekend business fell about 75% from its opening weekend, a sharper drop than the six films ranked above it on this year’s list, including Fan, which saw its second-weekend business drop by 74%. M.S. Dhoni also earned $76,000 less than Fan did in its second weekend, despite showing in ten more theaters.

Pink continued to put up a fight in its fourth weekend in North America. It earned another $31,019 from 22 theaters ($1,410 average), bringing its total earnings to $1,210,483. It needs less than $25,000 to overtake Udta Punjab for tenth place for the year, and less than $30,000 to bump Mohenjo Daro out of ninth place.

Baar Baar Dekho stuck around for a fifth weekend in one theater, earning $340 and bringing its total to $981,226.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Bollywood Box Office: May 20-22

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Last week, I wrote of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: “Even her lowest earning movies are average performers compared to the rest of the field.” That proved true once again with Sarbjit, which earned $130,199 from 83 theaters ($1,569 average) in North America during the weekend of May 20-22, 2016. It had the tenth best opening weekend of 2016 out of a field of 21 films.

While that opening weekend performance seems okay, by a number of metrics, it’s not. Sarbjit debuted a week after another biopic — the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Azhar — earned almost the exact same amount ($127,266) from 32 fewer theaters, with a per-screen average of $2,495. Sarbjit‘s 83 theaters represent the lowest number of opening weekend screens for one of Rai Bachchan’s movies since 2008’s Sarkar Raj opened in 70 North American theaters. More significantly, Sarbjit‘s opening weekend total is Rai Bachchan’s lowest since 2003’s Kuch Naa Kaho, and that film only released in 32 theaters.

There could be multiple contributing factors at play, such as audience fatigue from consecutive biopics, or the fact that Rai Bachchan became the face of promotions for a movie in which she doesn’t even play the title character, but there’s something more going on here. Rai Bachchan’s presence in a movie no longer guarantees a $1 million haul, the way it did during her heyday. Surely she’ll have better luck with her next project: director Karan Johar’s multi-starrer Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

In its second weekend, Azhar‘s business fell 85% from its opening weekend. Azhar earned $19,130 from 35 theaters ($547 average), bringing its total to $185,695.

Other Hindi movies still in North American theaters:

  • Baaghi: Week 4; $3,329 from six theaters; $555 average; $435,687 total
  • Kapoor & Sons: Week 10; $748 from one theater; $2,661,188 total
  • Fan: Week 6; $630 from two theaters; $315 average; $2,302,581 total
  • 1920 London: Week 3; $40 from one theater; $24,834 total

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening May 20: Sarbjit

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Another Bollywood biopic comes to Chicago area theaters on May 20, 2016. In Sarbjit, Randeep Hooda plays an Indian farmer imprisoned for accidentally crossing the border into Pakistan. The story is told from the perspective of the main character’s sister, played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Sarbjit opens on Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 25 min.

All three of the above theaters give a second week to the sports biopic Azhar. The South Barrington 30 also carries over Baaghi and Fan, while MovieMax holds over 1920 London.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:

Bollywood Box Office: May 13-15

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The biopic Azhar opened very well in North America, especially given the modest expectations governing its release here. During the weekend of May 13-15, 2016, Azhar earned $127,266 from 51 theaters ($2,495 average). While those may not seem like blockbuster numbers, consider this: 13 Hindi movies have released in more theaters than Azhar this year, but Azhar‘s opening weekend total ranks tenth for 2016, and its opening weekend average ranks seventh. No other Hindi movie to open in fewer than 80 theaters has averaged more than $2,000 per screen in its opening weekend. Of the ten other films released into fewer than 80 theaters this year, the second best opening weekend average is just $1,157 (Rocky Handsome, which opened in 74 theaters). Distributors were cautious given that Emraan Hashmi isn’t a huge draw here, but Azhar turned out to be a modest hit.

Other Hindi movies still showing in the United States and Canada:

  • Baaghi: Week 3; $19,342 from 27 theaters; $716 average; $423,418 total
  • Fan: Week 5; $5,018 from six theaters; $836 average; $2,301,200 total
  • 1920 London: Week 2; $984 from five theaters; $197 average; $24,084 total
  • Kapoor & Sons: Week 9; $727 from one theater; $2,660,140

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening May 13: Azhar

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Emraan Hashmi plays cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin in the biopic Azhar, opening in the Chicago area on May 13, 2016.

Azhar opens on Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 10 min.

MovieMax and South Barrington 30 both carry over 1920 London and Fan, while Baaghi gets a third week at the South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend include:

Bollywood Box Office: May 6-8

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1920 London‘s North American debut was predictably bad. From May 6-8, 2016, it earned $16,204 from 38 theaters ($426 average). Bollywood fans in the United States and Canada don’t have much appetite for horror films, particularly not when the biggest star in the cast is Sharman Joshi. However, just because fans here won’t go to the theater for horror films doesn’t mean they won’t watch them at all. I’d love to see some company revisit the idea of same-day rentals for movies that don’t merit a theatrical release in North America, especially for genre fare like this.

Baaghi‘s business fell by nearly 75% in its second weekend. It took in another $61,921 from 53 theaters ($1,168 average), bringing its total to $376,769.

In its fourth weekend, Fan earned $17,849 from 23 theaters ($776 average). Its total stands at $2,290,573. Fan should get a fifth weekend in a handful of theaters before its North American run comes to a close.

Kapoor & Sons hung around for an eighth weekend in one theater, earning $853 and bringing its total to $2,658,435.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Opening May 6: 1920 London

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A new Hindi horror movie hits Chicago area theaters on May 6, 2016. Sharman Joshi stars in 1920 London, the third installment in the 1920 franchise. I won’t be reviewing this one in the theater, since I am a total chicken when it comes to scary movies. I’ll catch up with it when it becomes available digitally or on DVD.

1920 London opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles and the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington. It has a listed runtime of 2 hours.

Baaghi carries over at both of the above theaters, plus the Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Fan gets a fourth week at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Regal Gardens Stadium 1-6 in Skokie.

Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend include:

Bollywood Box Office: April 29-May 1

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The Tiger Shroff-Shraddha Kapoor action flick Baaghi hit all its marks in its first weekend in North America. From April 29-May 1, 2016, it earned $233,793 from 96 theaters ($2,435 average). It opened in the seventh highest number of theaters this year, posting the seventh best opening weekend average and eighth best opening weekend total. Not bad at all. Further, Baaghi‘s performance was leaps and bounds better than Shroff’s 2014 debut, Heropanti, which earned just $31,556 from 20 theaters ($1,578 average) in its opening weekend here.

Last weekend’s new release, Laal Rang, has the dubious distinction of being the first Hindi film of 2016 to exit theaters after just one week. A $5,874 opening weekend will do that to ya.

In its third weekend, Fan earned $91,376 from 87 theaters ($1,050 average), bringing its total to $2,246,220. That ends any chance of Fan wresting the top spot from Kapoor & Sons, which added another $5,560 from five theaters ($1,112 average) to bring its seven-week total to $2,656,169.

Ki and Ka took in $1,954 from five theaters ($391 average), bringing its total to $919,815.

Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama