Salman’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan may cross Rs 1,000 crore mark with China release

Almost three years after its India release, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s blockbuster ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is set to release in China on March 2. It will be the actor’s first film release in the country.

Eros International, in association with Chinese film company E Stars Films Ltd, will release the movie in China during the Chinese Lantern Festival, according to a statement issued on Monday.

Dubbed in Chinese, the film is expected to get a wide release across 8,000-plus screens, the statement said.

Directed by Kabir Khan, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ stars Salman as Bajrangi, an ardent devotee of Hindu deity Hanuman, and his arduous journey to reunite a six-year-old lost girl with her parents, back to her hometown in Pakistan.

Given the success of Indian film releases in China, the studio and the makers are confident of the movie’s box office potential in China, one of the most promising international markets for Indian films.

In the recent past, Aamir Khan’s films like Dangal and PK had made a killing in China. Dangal alone managed to rake in an estimated Rs 1,200 crore while his latest release, Secret Superstar, earned over Rs 174 crore in the first 3 days of release.

The studio is expecting the Salman-starrer, which has already minted an estimated Rs 630 crore overall, to perform exceptionally well in the Chinese market.

According to one analyst, the China release could potentially push the film’s overall collection to well beyond the Rs 1,000 crore mark, a figure only a handful films like Dangal and Baahubali have managed to cross.

Jyoti Deshpande, Group CEO, Eros International, said: “China has emerged as an important market and major box office earner for Indian films in recent years, what with the recent success of ‘Dangal’. We are delighted to partner with E Stars to showcase our film to China.

“Our Indo-China co-productions are still in the making which we are extremely excited about. Meanwhile, what better film than ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, starring one of India’s most loved superstars that weaves the universal story of cross-border friendship, to release in a growing market like China.

“There are no international films releasing during that period in China so we hope to have a fantastic run at the box office in the world’s biggest film market.”

Allen Liu, CEO, E Stars Films Ltd, said there is “high expectation and curiosity for the film post the success of recent Indian releases in China and the positive word of mouth ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ enjoys”.

‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is the first of the film associations Eros is exploring with China.