Record-Breaking Weekend at the Box Office in India Led by Rajinikanth and Anil Sharma's Films
Key Highlights :
This past weekend saw a record-breaking box office in India led by Rajinikanth-starrer Jailer and Anil Sharma’s Gadar 2. According to the Producers Guild of India and Multiplex Association of India, the August 11-13 frame was the busiest single weekend since the pandemic began, and ticket sales hit more than 390 crore ($47M). This was the biggest combined weekend in history, and it included two other new titles: Akshay Kumar-starrer OMG 2 and Meher Ramesh’s Bhola Shankar featuring Chiranjeevi.
The total number of admissions across the weekend was over 2.1 crore (21M), the biggest number of the past decade. This was all in advance of Tuesday’s Independence Day holiday. Rajinikanth’s Jailer grossed an estimated $19.5M over a four-day debut while Gadar 2 did $18.3M in a three-day bow. Outside of India, Jailer ’s four-day opening grossed an estimated $15.75M, making it the best international debut for a Tamil film and the fourth biggest ever for any Indian title.
Gadar 2, starring Sunny Deol, saw a weekend debut of $1.135M in North America. The sequel to Gadar Ek Prem Katha is set in 1971, amidst the backdrop of the partition of Bangladesh and East Pakistan.
Commenting on the success at home, Shibasish Sarkar, President of the Producers Guild of India, said, “Mainstream storytelling executed in the right way has resulted in box office records being shattered. A massive achievement like this is a result of an incredible filmmaking team, with cast and crew coming together to create a truly special moviegoing experience. The turnout at theaters has infused a new energy in our industry, audiences are responding in numbers we have not seen for a very long time, even the early morning shows are getting sold out. This weekend has been a wonderful experience for people who love the mainstream Indian films.”
Added Multiplex Association President Kamal Gianchandani, “It was a historic weekend, it proves once again that India loves going to the movies to see great films. This weekend is also an undeniable demonstration of cinemas being the ultimate place to be part of a shared experience. Cinemas across the country would like to thank and congratulate our filmmakers and studios for pushing the boundaries to deliver unforgettable storytelling. This weekend shows that movies and cinemas are back in a big, big way. We look forward to this momentum continuing the rest of 2023.”
The success of Jailer and Gadar 2 proves that Indian films are still a major draw at the box office. Audiences are flocking to the theaters to see these films, and this is a positive sign for the industry. It is also an indication that the Indian movie-going experience is still alive and well, and that people are eager to see the latest offerings from their favorite filmmakers. With the Independence Day holiday coming up, it will be interesting to see if this momentum continues and if the box office records will be broken again.
