February 15, 2017
Bollywood’s seed for a successful year was rooted at the start of 2016, with numerous blockbusters lined up for release from one of the most loved movie industries across the UAE. Towards the end of 2016, it was quite evident that Bollywood delivered above expectation – well-essayed stories releasing one after another.
Q1 of 2016 saw some amazing movies such as ‘Airlift‘ (worldwide collection of US$34 million), ‘Neerja‘ (worldwide collection of US$20 million), ‘Kapoor & Sons‘ (worldwide collection of US$22.7 million) and ‘Rocky Handsome‘ (worldwide collection of US$53 million).
Q2 witnessed blockbusters such as ‘Fan‘ (worldwide collection of US$28 million), ‘Housefull 3‘ (worldwide collection of US$29 million) and ‘Udta Punjab‘ (worldwide collection of US$15 million) – all of which kept the pace of Q1 releases.
Q3 blew us away with movies such as ‘Sultan‘ (worldwide collection of US$88 million), ‘Dishoom‘ (worldwide collection of US$18 million), ‘Rustom‘ (worldwide collection of US$32 million), ‘Mohenjo Daro‘ (worldwide collection of US$18 million) and ‘M.S.Dhoni: The Untold Story‘ (worldwide collection of US$24 million).
Towards the end of Q3, our appetite for Bollywood movies kept growing and so did our expectations – and as always, Bollywood did not disappoint.
Q4 gave us ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil‘ (worldwide collection of US$35 million), ‘Dear Zindagi‘ (worldwide collection of US$20 million) and ‘Befikre‘ (worldwide collection of US$19 million). Talk about a humongous and amazing line-up!
However, the most exciting and well-timed climax of this well articulated story of 2016 was the release of the mega blockbuster – ‘Dangal‘, which released across the UAE December 22. Aamir Khan and his foursome of female wrestlers delivered more than a brilliant performance – a strong message of girl power. With such power-packed performances, it was no surprise when the movie won the hearts of UAE cinemagoers – grossing over US$116 million worldwide. ‘Dangal‘ ranks the second highest grossing movie in Bollywood of all time – earning AED16 million (US$4 million) from just the first day of release in the UAE.
2016’s Top 10 Bollywood Grossers – Overseas
As we ready ourselves for yet another fantastic line-up from Bollywood in 2017, this Indian cinema industry has yet again managed to keep our hopes high with early releases of two eagerly awaited movies – ‘Raees’ and ‘Kaabil’.
‘Raees‘ – the story of a cruel and clever bootlegger, raised above the expectations of cinemagoers across UAE, collecting a worldwide total of US$37 million (to date) – as the movie is presently screening across cinemas around the world. Shah Rukh Khan (A.K.A ‘The King Khan‘ of Bollywood) plays the lead role in the movie that has received thundering applause across the region.
‘Kaabil‘ – another riveting spectacle from the father-son team, delivers a heart-clenching story of a blind lover seeking revenge. The movie has been well received in the UAE with a worldwide collection of US$23 million. Hrithik Roshan’s passionate performance has won him much acclaim and a massive following across UAE cinema audiences.
Here’s glimpse of what other Bollywood movies 2017 holds:
Vishal Bharadwaj’s romance drama ‘Rangoon‘ is on the horizon with the highly anticipated duo Shahid Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut set to awe UAE cinemagoers when the movie releases on Feb 23 across cinemas in the UAE.
From Jhansi and Vaidehi Trivedi comes ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania‘ (releasing March 9) – starring Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan, which will be a mix of comedy, drama and romance.
Further down the line is the release of ‘Jagga Jasoos‘ (April 6) starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. The comedy will be a treat for cinema lovers who enjoy a musical twist.
Some other Bollywood movies releasing across 2017 include ‘Baadshaho‘ starring Ajay Devgan (releasing May 11), ‘Raabta‘ starring Sushant Singh Rajput (tentatively releasing June 8), ‘The Ring‘ starring Shah Rukh Khan (tentatively releasing August 10), ‘Golmaal Again‘ starring Ajay Devgan, ‘2.0‘ starring Rajnikanth & Akshay Kumar and ‘Tiger Zinda Hai‘ starring Salman Khan (tentatively releasing December 21).
As Bollywood promises to outperform 2016 – delivering ultimate entertainment for Bollywood loving cinemagoers, don’t miss out on the opportunity to aligning your brand with these big titles.
Contact a member of our Sales Team for more information.
Sources: Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Box Office, MVM Movie Planner
