Indian box office: ‘Ponnyin Selvan II’ grossed $24 million worldwide, Salman Khan film falls flat

The historical epic of filmmaker Mani Ratnam Ponniyin Selvan II garnered much appreciation from critics and audiences alike. Starring Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai, Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shobhita Dhulipala and Trisha, the film earned $24.4 million worldwide in its first weekend of release.

According to Comscore’s latest report, it earned $3.64 million in US markets alone, over the weekend ending April 30. Ponniyin Selvan II is the second part of Ratnam’s historical epic which was first released last year and has been widely appreciated. Both films are based on Kalki’s books Ponniyein Selvan which tell the story of the Chola kingdom in the Indian region. The film features Rai as Nandini while Ravi plays the lead role of Arunmozhi Varman aka Ponniyin Selvan. Vikram plays the role of Nandini’s lover and Arunmozhi’s brother, Aditha Karikalan. Ratnam’s film portrays powerful female characters, and the filmmaker has packed a gripping narrative with beautiful settings and brilliant performers.

Meanwhile, Salman Khan failed to hold any major box office shows. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan released a week ago and only managed to fetch $19 million worldwide in its first seven days of release. Considering the wide release (over 4500 screens in India alone), the Farhad Samji directed film had a disappointing run at the box office. It could barely score $12 million in the Indian market.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan achieved an opening weekend collection of $929,844 in US markets. Released on 4500 screens in India, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is one of the widest releases in Hindi cinema in recent times – tied with Yash Raj Film’s Pathan which broke several box office records. Although this is the regular version of Khan on the occasion of Eid, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan couldn’t score big enough for a Salman Khan movie.

With a clear understanding of his audience and fanbase, Khan has released most of his big-budget films around the Eid festival over the past two decades. More often than not, the films have capitalized on his fandom combined with festivities. However, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan collections have been among the lowest for his Eid releases since 2000. The only film that scored less than the last was released in 2010. Abhinav Kashyap’s Dabangg earned approximately $1.7 million net in India. Ali Abbas Zafar’s film in 2019 Bharat (with Katrina Kaif) was Khan’s best opener till date with net collections of $5.3 million in India alone.

Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan had a disappointing box office performance in the first week of its theatrical release on April 21. The film also stars Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati, Bhumika Chawla and Bhagyashree.

According to the film’s producers, Salman Khan Films, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan has grossed $18.2 million worldwide.