Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan becomes first Indian film to surpass GBP 4 million at the UK box office

Shah Rukh Khan starrer crossed GBP 4 million in the United Kingdom, becoming the first ever Indian film to do so.

By Jatinder Singh

Updated on Feb 16, 2023 | 09:52 PM IST | 632.1K

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in Pathaan (image courtesy of YRF)

Pathaan has been making waves at the box office since it was released three weeks ago, surpassing several benchmarks and setting new records. One such benchmark was surpassed yesterday when the Shah Rukh Khan starrer crossed GBP 4 million in the United Kingdom, becoming the first ever Indian film to do so.

Once upon a time...

The United Kingdom was once the biggest overseas market for the Hindi film industry, ahead of North America. A 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' raked in a massive $3.10 million in the United Kingdom, exceeding its earnings of $2.20 million in North America. Similarly, 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' earned $3.65 million in the United Kingdom, despite having unfavourable exchange rates, whereas it collected $3.10 million in North America. This trend of the United Kingdom leading North America persisted until the late 2000s.

Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan (image courtesy of YRF)

The Fall of the United Kingdom

The 2010s witnessed a significant surge in Indian migration to North America, while the United Kingdom lagged behind. The Indian diaspora in North America experienced a substantial increase from 2.50 million in 2001 to approximately 8 million in 2021. In contrast, the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom only rose by 80%, from 1.05 million to 1.85 million. Furthermore, North America boasted a larger number of younger and first-generation immigrants among the diaspora, whereas the United Kingdom had a higher percentage of second and third-generation people of Indian origin. This generational difference made the ones in North America more likely to watch Indian films than those in the United Kingdom.

Additionally, the declining value of GBP against USD further contributed to the United Kingdom's dwindling revenue. The United Kingdom, once the biggest overseas market, became a fraction of North America recently. The big grossers were clearing $10 million in North America, while the United Kingdom remained stuck at $3-4 million. In fact, more recently even the bigger films were struggling to cross the $1 million mark, rendering $3 million an elusive dream.

When examining the highest-grossing Bollywood films in the United Kingdom, it becomes apparent that the majority, fifteen of the top twenty-five, were released in 2013 or earlier, despite ticket prices doubling in the last twenty years. Even though released back in the 1990s, 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' and 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' still hold a place on this list.

Under these circumstances, not only Pathaan has become the biggest grosser ever, but topped the previous film by nearly 50 per cent, becoming the first to cross GBP 3 million and now GBP 4 million mark. The film is still running strong and can add another GBP 300-500 thousand to its total, which could very well be more than the two new releases in the next two weeks, Shehzada and Selfiee, combined.

The top twenty highest-grossing films in the United Kingdom are as follows: