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Agneepath scores big overseas

February 01, 2012 17:51 IST

Agneepath does great business overseas, just it did in India.

Agneepath has done solid business outside of India but looking beyond the hype, it is not as great a business as Ra.One, which went on to gross about $10 million in the final reckoning.

If the usual pattern of attrition follows, with films falling by about 60 percent in the second week, Agneepath could end its overseas run a robust $8 million.

The foreign grosses yield higher revenue than the Indian grosses as there is no entertainment tax in many lucrative markets including America and Canada.

The revenge drama made over $3.3 million over the four-day weekend when it released on January 26, with the North American market being the best. Hrithik Roshan has become a big box office draw in this market so much so that even Kites, which had nosedived in the second week, started with a $1 million gross in this territory.

The new film did pretty well in UAE and Australia but was tepid in the United Kingdom, where it grossed about $550,000 in four days. In UAE, the collections came to about $800,000 and in Australia, it was $280,000.

Many publications across USA and Canada run reviews of the major Hindi films.

Vancouver Observer declared: 'This is one of the most intense movies you'll ever see. It starts out that way and rarely lets up with a tale of family and revenge, packed with passion, violence and brutal hand to hand combat. The film has only just opened and is already a mammoth hit, maybe because it's a return to classic Bollywood, not one of those Hollywood knock-offs we've been getting recently.'

Eros International released Agneepath on 337 screens outside of India, the highest ever for any Hrithik Roshan film. Other strong performing territories were Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, and Mauritius, Eros added.

'Agneepath has done extremely well in all the overseas markets making it the first blockbuster of the New Year,' Pranab Kapadia, President -- Marketing and Distribution -- Eros International said in a statement. 'The tremendous response has been very encouraging with all major markets indicating remarkable box office results.'

Producer Karan Johar said in a statement: 'It truly is the director Karan Malhotra's vision that has made it all possible. Revisiting a cult classic is a daunting task and he along with his brilliant cast and crew have helped create box office magic!'

Arthur J Pais in New York