A Hollywood film shocked everyone by surpassing the box office collections of every film of the Khans in India.
For close to 30 years, the Khans have ruled the Indian box office now. Since the days of HumAapke Hain Koun and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge through Dangal and Dabangg to now Pathaan and Jawan, Shah Rukh, Aamir, and Salman have almost always given the highest-grossing film each year. However, less than 12 months ago, their dominance was broken. And not by a film from the south. But one from Hollywood instead.
The Hollywood film that beat the Khans’ box office records
In December 2022, James Cameron’s much awaited Avatar: The Way of Water released globally. The film broke several box office records worldwide and its run in India was nothing short of spectacular as well. By the end of its run, Avatar 2 earned a whopping Rs 391 crore net in India. At the point, it was higher than the collections of the best films of the three Khans. Aamir’s Dangal had earned Rs 387 crore, Salman’s Tiger Zinda Hai earned Rs 339 crore, while Shah Rukh’s Chennai Express had netted Rs 227 crore. Since then, Shah Rukh’s two films – Pathaan and Jawan – have surpassed the mark of course.
How Avatar The Way of Water beat Baahubali The Conclusion
In fact, Avatar The Way of Water broke new ground in its opening weekend itself when it netted Rs 182 crore in India, much higher than blockbusters like Baahubali 2 (Rs 128 crore), War (Rs 166 crore), and even Sultan (Rs 180 crore). Only KGF Chapter 2 (Rs 194 crore) was ahead of it. Since then, Shah Rukh’s Pathaan and Jawan have also crossed it and become the first two Hindi films to net over Rs 200 crore in the opening weekend itself.
Avatar The Way of Water’s global box office collection
Avatar The Way of Water earned $2.32 billion worldwide in its initial run, making it the third-highest-grossing film of all time, behind Avatar ($2.92 billion) and Avengers Endgame ($2.79 billion). It has earned more than another blockbuster from director Cameron – Titanic, which had grossed $2.25 billion worldwide after its release in 1997.
