Box office not a “Fan” anymore

Shah Rukh Khan’s “Fan” enters the list of the top twenty overseas grosser of all time

The first two weekends for Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Fan” turned out quite contrasting in terms of domestic box office collection. While the second weekend collection declined by 85% in India, the international box office collections remain the point of discussion for the film’s business prospects in the coming weeks.

Fan, the much-awaited thriller drama directed by Maneesh Sharma was released on April 15 in India and abroad with much aplomb. The film witnessed an above average collection for the first weekend being the best of the films released in the calendar year 2016.  In the first five days the film collected a total of 9.631 million US dollars in the domestic market but then there was a massive drop in interest and revenue.

 
However, the overseas market collection for “Fan” remained positive for both the weeks. According to Taran Adarsh, a renowned film trade analyst, the total overseas collection for “Fan” till the second weekend is 9.2 million dollars with the Middle East (UAE-GCC : 3.31 million dollars) and the USA-Canada (2.052 million dollars) taking the top ranks. The figures represent an optimistic outlook taking it up from the first week overseas collection of 7.730 million dollars.

#Fan – Overseas – Total till Weekend 2: $ 9.20 million [₹ 61.35 cr]… Best in USA-Canada [$ 2.052 million], UAE-GCC [$ 3.310 million].

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) April 26, 2016

Innovative overseas release

The overseas release for “Fan” is quite differently planned than most of the other Bollywood films released in the recent times. It is predicted that the overseas box office collection would consequently go up in the following weeks, as the film stretches its boundaries. After the April 15 release in India, Pakistan, USA-Canada and the Middle East (UAE-GCC), the film will now see an international release in three phases, covering several non-traditional markets as well. The Phase 1 includes markets such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Romania, Poland and Spain where Hindi films are rarely released. Phase 2 will feature the markets of Morocco, Egypt, Caribbean Islands and Peru, while Phase 3 will see the film’s release in China, Japan, Turkey, Vietnam and Korea.

The non-festive Indian summer release can be held accountable for the low intensity among Shah Rukh Khan’s fans in the country albeit rave reviews from the critics. After an above average opening in the first week, the second weekend collection in the domestic market saw an abrupt decline in the figures followed by mixed reaction from the audience. However, the simultaneous release in the overseas market is assumed as a strategy from the makers to allow the film to unleash the potential of some of the untapped international markets and capitalise on the profit quotient.

“Fan” features Shah Rukh Khan in a double role – Aryan Khanna, the coveted film star and Gaurav Chandna, the fan whose dream to meet his hero turns into an obsession leading to an array of riveting incidents. While most of the reviews from critics hailed the return of Shah Rukh Khan as a compelling performer, the film, with no traditional heroines, songs and unlike typical Bollywood potboilers, is found struggling in terms of Indian box office assortment.