Following up on the much-discussed Top 5 most bankable stars in India, today we discuss the top stars in the overseas market.
Over the last few years, the increasingly large size of the overseas markets, has made it extremely significant for Bollywood filmmakers. The higher ticket prices, the growing NRI audience and the international audience slowly taking interest in Hindi films, has ensured that the $20 million threshold (equivalent to the 100 crore club in India) has been surpassed by films like My Name Is Khan and 3 Idiots.
Popular filmmaker Karan Johar, whose last few films have fared well internationally, once famously said “We do not see NRI’s as people who are separate from Indians. They are all Indians and in fact the NRI’s are more Indian at heart then any of us in India!”
So who are the Top 5 overseas box office stars? It’s pretty much the same as the biggest stars in India, just that the order has changed.
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1. Shahrukh Khan – Well, what do we say? SRK has dominated the international market like no other actor in history. None come close, he’s the absolute KING, by a fair distance. Of the 10 highest grossing films, SRK has starred in 7. In the Top 25, he features in a staggering 12 films! Before 3 Idiots released in China, My Name Is Khan was by far the highest grossing film with $22.15 million (Rs 120 crores). Some of his films that haven’t fared as well as expected in India are blockbusters abroad!
2. Aamir Khan – With 23.9 million (130 crores), 3 Idiots is the highest overseas grosser ever. The film has also made a huge impact at places where most Hindi films don’t even release. While the success of 3 Idiots has tremendously increased Aamir’s following, some of his older film like Ghajini and Fanaa have done well too.
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3. Hrithik Roshan – Hrithik has always been a bankable star at the overseas box office and fairly consistent too with 5 of his films in the Top 25 (including K3G). Dhoom 2 is the 7th highest grosser ever and one of the few films in the SRK dominated Top 10. Before the release of 3 Idiots, Hrithik occupied the second spot.
4. Salman Khan – With 2 films in the Top 25 (three if Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is included), the stocks of the most popular star in India has been rising with films like Dabangg and Bodyguard (No 10). His two upcoming films – Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2 – could push him into the Top 3.
5. Akshay Kumar – Much like Hrithik, Akshay too has been consistent but on the lower side. Some of his films like Singh Is King, Welcome and Housefull 2 have set the cast registers ringing.
Top 25 Highest Grossing Overseas films
| # | Movie | Overseas Collections | In Indian Rupees (55 per $) | Lead stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Idiots | $23.90 million | 132 crores | Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor |
| 2 | My Name Is Khan | $22.15 million | 122 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kajol |
| 3 | Don 2 | $11.70 million | 65 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra |
| 4 | Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna | $10.77 million | 60 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee |
| 5 | Om Shanti Om | $10.08 million | 56 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone |
| 6 | Ra One | $9.20 million | 51 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor |
| 7 | Dhoom 2 | $8.57 million | 47 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai |
| 8 | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi | $8.43 million | 46 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma |
| 9 | Veer Zaara | $8.20 million | 45 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta |
| 10 | Bodyguard | $8.15 million | 45 crores | Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor |
| 11 | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham | $8.00 million | 44 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kajol |
| 12 | Jodha Akbar | $7.55 million | 42 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai |
| 13 | Don | $7.46 million | 41 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra |
| 14 | Black | $7.40 million | 41 crores | Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee |
| 15 | Singh is King | $7.27 million | 40 crores | Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif |
| 16 | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | $7.25 million | 40 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif |
| 17 | Ghajini | $7.06 million | 39 crores | Aamir Khan, Asin |
| 18 | Fanaa | $6.86 million | 38 crores | Aamir Khan, Kajol |
| 19 | Devdas | $6.65 million | 37 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit |
| 20 | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | $6.25 million | 35 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kajol |
| 21 | Love Aaj Kal | $6.20 million | 35 crores | Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone |
| 22 | Housefull 2 | $6.10 million | 34 crores | Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Asin |
| 23 | Dabangg | $6.10 million | 34 crores | Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha |
| 24 | Kal Ho Na Ho | $6.00 million | 33 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan |
| 25 | Agneepath | $6.00 million | 33 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra |
Note: Since, we do not specialize in overseas box office and do not have an extensive database, we have used figures from Wikipedia.
Any questions, please ask in the comments section below. Be sensible with your comments, else they will be deleted.
ha ha ha.
What a joke, hritik is ahead of salman ?
Shut down this hritik site
Salman must be on number one !
Shahrukh khan…
you are the king of indian cinema…
you are loved by billions…..muaaaaaahhhh…
Srk promotes his film hugely in overseas and releases it widely as compared to other stars…the only aamir film which has been released widely in overseas is 3 idiots.that too without even promotions…and rest we know is the history! srk is a self proclaimed King!
All the words in the English vocabulary are not enough to describe the miracle called Shah Rukh Khan. There is no one like him, truly! The way he connects with the audience through his movies… I have never come across another actor who creates such an impact. He’s the personification of love, he is a miracle sent to us by God.
I agree ith the list….SRK is no.1 … I’m not from India & nor are my parents. I’ve lived in multiple countries & trust me, SRK dominates in accordance to fan following, & besides, he has won the ‘Best Actor’ award the most times =)
Has anyone anything to say??!! I have only to say…SRK..THE KING!! Hahaha..! Thanks indicine..now please post the worldwide ranking soon..
SRK is the best actor I have ever seen. He is ruling the bollywood industry and don’t compare other actors with SRK because he has more quality and personality than any other actors in the film industry. He is awesome and I am proud to be a SRK fan.
SRK….A True Actor.. A Beautiful way to Express Feelings in both REEL as well as In REAL life.. A self made Man… Nice Sense of Humor.. A solid Personality to Represent INDIA Worldwide…
Hrithik Bhayyia aap in Wrikled 50 yrs aged actors k beech main kya kar rahe ho…I think HRITHIK is MOST HANDSOME ACTOR of India. CAN’t wait for KRRISH 3.
Aamir’s Film is On TOP! Proves Whos the Bigger Star in Overseas…as Aamir does very few films..he didnt hav much films in this list..Talaash D:3 and Peekay will change these rankings too
The legendary Khan TAKEN BIRTH IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY EVER AND REMAIN THE EVER SO FAR THE WORLD REMAIN…
SHAHRUKH KHAN
What is Salman doing at No 4…Nobody knows Sallu outside INDIA..
Shahrukh Khan Is Number 1
People die for him
As he said I don’t play with numbers
@indicine WTF yaar Salman is Not even in Top actor in Overseas…even Saif Ranbir Imran are ahead of Salman in Oversea…Why r u Propmting salman so much @indicine
The Brand does not require any comment to be made.. The phenomenon of excellence.. The celebration of cinema.. The duke of the empires of acting.. The king himself SHAH RUKH KHAN..
i love u SRK ..<3
veer zara is better than bodyguard! Bechara salman! Koi nahi janta ise india ke bahar!
SRK is out of this world. He Is unbeatable whether its acting, personality, sense of humour, being a family man, humbleness, love and respect for women, truthfulness, honesty, you name a quality and he has it.
If you ask me another name of acting then its srk, he is the representative of Bollywood to world, with help of no god father he has held is name so high that no one can come over his place. He is god of acting, he is the best yet so simple I salute the king of the acting MR. SHARUKH KHAN.
This man has it all! The charm, the attitude, the humbleness, the gratitude. Also known as the most famous person on earth, Shahrukh khan has set a new bar when it comes to stardom. And all of it would not have been possible if he was not a Great actor, which he evidently is!
Just judge his acting from the movies like darr, baazigar, devdas, chak de inndia and my name is khan…
Shah rukh khan the says itself the face of king (shah rukh). He is the king of the bollywood, no one can act like him in this world, he is god of acting
Srk is the only actor who touches all heart from his act ability and really the greatest actor of all the times
We all know Srk is no. 1 in overseas. But how come you rank salman in 4th and hrithik in 3rd? Salman is more popular than amir and hrithik.. Indicine you are an Anti-bhaijaan site
the baap of all actors————–>SHAHRUKH KHAN
Ayush, just reporting facts. You can see the Top 25 list for yourself. And how can we be Anti-Salman when we ranked him at the Top in India?
Wow SRK Rocks.. He should do movies in Hollywood. Indian stupid public dont deserve him
To me Shahrukh Khan is number 1.
The man is magic on screen. Probably the most passionate actor in the list. He can do the cliched bollywood romantic hero roles as well as the challenging roles smoothly. He has set an example for the youth by not losing his middle class values even after becoming so huge. The indian audiences love him for that.
Brand SRK is bigger than any other brands.. SRK U were No. 1, U are No. 1 and will always be No.1.. Love you Shahrukh
Shahrukh khan is only person in bollywood who trying to improve bit standard of bollywood… Put lots of money in movies and show bollywood has capacity to make good movies…
Salman should not have been in Top 5. And hrithik should have been 2nd right after SRK..