All Time Overseas Records: SRK dominates two decades

In the last 6 months or so, after the record-breaking overseas success of films like Dhoom 3, PK and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, one question that we get asked quite frequently is about Shah Rukh Khan’s overseas dominance. Has Aamir Khan sneaked ahead of Shahrukh to establish himself as the biggest crowd puller overseas? 

First things first, it’s way too early to write off SRK’s overseas dominance. Here’s why:

• SRK’s last release, Happy New Year, recorded the biggest opening weekend in one of the biggest overseas markets – UAE / GCC. A record that still stands, even after the release of PK and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (which is currently the biggest grosser).
• My Name Is Khan held the record for the highest opening weekend in UK for nearly 4 years, before Dhoom 3 broke the record.
• Chennai Express recorded the highest opening in North America, when it released back in 2013.
• Almost all SRK films that have released in Pakistan, have opened to record-breaking numbers.
• And finally, even though the Top 3 highest grossers belong to Aamir, Shahrukh still has 9 movies in the Top 20.

When it comes to the all-important current standing in the major overseas territories, films starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead are still opening to record numbers, but are not sustaining well enough to do well in the long run. So when a film with good content that strikes a chord with the overseas audience, releases, it’ll be an interesting comparison with films like PK and Dhoom 3.

Moving on to all-time records, there was a time when almost all the Top 10 overseas grossers belonged to SRK. The period between the release of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995 to My Name Is Khan in 2010, Shah Rukh Khan had no competition.

Check out the list of Hindi films that broke all-time records at the overseas box office.

Year	Movies	Collections
1994	Hum Aapke Hain Kaun	$3.85 million
1995	Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge	$4.68 million
1998	Kuch Kuch Hota Hai	$6.31 million
2001	Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham	$8.6 million
2006	Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna	$10.80 million
2010	My Name Is Khan	$23.78 million*
2009-2012	Three Idiots	$25.45 million*
2013	Dhoom 3	$31.09 million
2014	PK	$47.22 million

As is pretty evident from the table above, Shahrukh set all time overseas records and he broke them himself. No other actor in the industry came close during that period. It wasn’t just those films (listed in the table) that did well, but almost every SRK film opened well overseas.

Check out the list

• Happy New Year (Blockbuster)
• Chennai Express (Blockbuster)
• My Name Is Khan (All Time Blockbuster)
• Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Blockbuster)
• Don 2 (Blockbuster)
• Ra One (Blockbuster)
• Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (All Time Blockbuster)
• Om Shanti Om (All Time Blockbuster)
• Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Blockbuster)
• Veer Zaara (All Time Blockbuster)
• Don (Blockbuster)
• Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (All Time Blockbuster)
• Devdas (All Time Blockbuster)
• Kal Ho Na Ho (Blockbuster)
• Mohabbatein (Blockbuster)
• Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (All Time Blockbuster)
• Dil Toh Pagal Hai (Blockbuster)
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (All Time Blockbuster)

Did we miss any? We probably have, because for most part of the 90s and 2000s, Bollywood meant Shah Rukh Khan for the overseas audience.

But that has changed in the last 4-5 years. After the release of 3 Idiots, overseas business of Hindi films has grown by leaps and bounds. A film like PK has collected more than Rs 130 crore from China alone, something that was unthinkable not too long ago. The exponential growth has meant that films featuring Shahrukh have to perform well outside major markets like North America, United Kingdom, UAE and Australia.

Business in countries like China has become crucial for Bollywood films to set all time overseas records and it remains to be seen if SRK films, in the future, can do well in those countries.

Until then, the least we can do is to respect the love that Shahrukh Khan has got for nearly 2 decades. The non-resident Indians and others.

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