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June 02, 2005 10:38 IST
Abhishek Bachchan [Images], with some help from his father, scored his first hit abroad as Bunty Aur Babli [Images] grabbed a solid $440,000 in four days over the Memorial Day weekend in America and about $300,000 in a three-day weekend in the United Kingdom. The film was a fourth straight hit for the senior Bachchan in the overseas market. The gross in the UK for Bunty Aur Babli was even more significant as the film was released there in 30 theatres and shot to the ninth position on the box-office chart. In North America, it was shown in 51 theatres. Its four day gross nearly doubled what Dhoom, Abhishek's first hit, had taken in its four-week long run. Though the sexy action thriller was a strong hit in India, it had a disappointing run in North America and the UK, proving once again that the success of a film in India is not always mirrored overseas, particularly in the UK and USA. But Dhoom did much better in its DVD and VHS versions, partly sparking the interest in Bunty Aur Babli. The hit music helped, too. Not to overlook Rani Mukherji's [Images] increasing popularity. But above all, fans were eager to see the senior and junior Bachchans together in a film that seemed to be above the average Bollywood product. Even Munnabhai [Images] MBBS was not a big hit in North America; it fared much better in the UK. For Yash Raj Films, the movie's producer and its distributor on both sides of the Atlantic, the massive publicity has clearly paid off. There is a very good possibility that the movie will gross $1 million in North America and reach a similar status abroad. Kaal, the previous film distributed by Yash Raj Films, was a disappointment. Normally movies without big stars go directly to video on both sides of the Atlantic. But Kaal opened in about 45 movie houses in North America and the United Kingdom because of its producers Karan Johar [Images] and Shah Rukh Khan [Images]. But the film opened to feeble numbers, and ended its run with about $400,000 in both territories. Bunty Aur Babli is the fourth hit abroad in a row for Amitabh Bachchan [Images] following Veer-Zaara, Black and Waqt. The last named film, heavily promoted by Bachchan and distributor Eros, has grossed about $2 million in the UK and US.
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