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The film has grossed about Rs 240 crore in just 10 days of worldwide theatrical business and may touch the staggering Rs 300 crore figure,according to most trade pundits, by the time it finishes its run.
‘3 Idiots’ has overtaken Aamir’s own film Ghajini’s collections, which held the previous record of the biggest business done by films in the post-multiplex era.
The film, apart from breaking Indian domestic market records, in this time has also emerged as the highest Bollywood earner even in the overseas markets. The film has done well in multiplexes as well as single screens despite its seemingly English title, which is considered a detterent in single-screen markets.
The film has given exhibitors a huge relief. Managing director of G7 Cinemas Manoj Desai said, “2009 had been very bad for exhibitors but ‘Paa’ and ‘3 Idiots’ came and saved us. In fact ‘3 Idiots’ has created history at the box office and I can easily call it the new Sholay of Bollywood.”
“In many ways this is a mysterious success. Everyone knew that this film might do well but this is enormous and cuts across various segments. It has come during one of the darkest periods of Indian box-office history,” a trade insider said.
Trade analyst Amod Mehra agreed: “It took 34 years for a film to reach Sholay’s level. This film is set a new benchmark for the film industry. The film will earn a revenue of nothing less than Rs 150 crore net in India and the business in the Bombay circuit will be about Rs 30 crore. The maximum a film has done in the past in this circuit has been Sooraj Barjatya’s ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ (Rs 20 crore).”
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh too believes that ‘3 Idiots’ has shattered all box-office records. “The arithmetic of the box office has gone for a toss. No one expected it to be such a hit and the way it is performing in its second week is incredible,” he said.
PVR Pictures marketing head Ranjan Singh said: “This is the third time that an Aamir Khan film has worked like magic in the last week of the year. The film has created history all over the country and cut across all segments of the audiences.”
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Even in his long absence from the scene, for last 2 consecutive years Hrithik films are best of the ...
Gorilla
LBC was an engaging movie(among the best of 2009) but sadly had no genuine star to lead the same.(Camoes by ...
I hope Zoya makes an entertaining film this time. Her last film was more of a DVD watch though i ...
LOL RAJ Dear, Ha.... Ha....Ha.....Ha....Ha..... 
"But you can hope SRK matches Aamir the Producer on movie’s quality and ROI factor…"
Lol Raju Guide! It is really ...
This is a three months old news...The previous news said 35 cr for 3 years now its saying for two ...
Thank You God :-) I was having a miserable day up until now. :-)
and Thank You Tiger. 
utkal 5 January 2010
10:54:06 pm
I had already remarjed to a friend that 3 Idiots is the Sholay of our times.Hee is why:
1. Rare moment when everything comes together beautifully: Story, Script, Dialogue, Ensemble acting, direction.
2. No other film likely to match its success for years to come.
3. Cuts across barriers of urban-rural divide, age groups, gender
4. Suceeds both with critics and ticket buyers.
Ihab 5 January 2010
10:56:39 pm
Didn’t Ghajini break HAHK record in Mumbai Circuit? Ghajini’s Nett is around 41 crores from that circuit and its Distributor’s share is around 20.5 crores. So, it has beaten HAHK’s 20 crore distributors share record by 0.5 crores.
I think 3 Idiots got to be the biggest hit ever. It has set the benchmark so high that if an Aamir, SRK, Akki or Hrithik movie now does like 80’s crores business, it will be like “Thats it?” when 80’s is actually pretty high. Also, 3 Idiots is beating the likes of Sholay, Mughal-e-azam and Mother India after adjusting with inflation.. Thats gotta mean something.
Also, This movie will 100% cross 300 crores and will probably go above to 350 crores Gross. If its on its way to earn 170-180 crores Nett in india, then Gross in India would be close 300 crore. And overseas, the movie has grossed 50 crores till now. So, I think the movie will definately earn alot.
NyKavi 5 January 2010
11:02:21 pm
Shhh..Shhh..
Pachaas kos dur jab bachcha apni maa se kehta hai ki “Maa, Maine 3 idiots dekhi hai, Aal Izz Well! Ab Aamir #1 hai” to maa kehti hai
“chup kar bete, warna SRK aa jayega”
Ihab 5 January 2010
11:02:30 pm
BDW, I think Kites might not be able to recover costs for its producers and distributors.. Imagine, 3 Idiots being SUCH a huge hit is looking at a 160-170 crores Revenues from all sectors.. Then I highly doubt Kites, doing the same.. Also, we know that Kites has been sold for a 110+ crores..
Ihab 6 January 2010
12:13:22 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYQWBJuwcRg
Check out this video.
This is how people are reacting to the movie.
cticize 6 January 2010
12:34:05 am
Excellent.
ideaunique 6 January 2010
02:14:46 am
thnx for that video ihab – heartening
Achilles 6 January 2010
06:51:58 am
Considering market dynamics Ghajini wasnt much ahead of D2 which released two years before it … but 3I is definitely much beyond any of the blockbusters in this decade … its likely to do 160-180 cr nett in its lifetime depending on trending, but thats a huge number anyways which any other movie will find difficult to overcome in the next few years … as far as Kites or MNIK is considered, if they work they may easily pass the 100 cr mark, but reaching such dizzy heights as 3I is impossible.
Hirani had a small hit from the best movie he made: Munnabhai MBBS … ironically he got an ATB from his worst: 3I … along with Aamir’s brand value its also the goodwill Hirani got from LRM that has worked wonders here.
Looking back Aamir has been the undisputed #1 in the last 5 years (2005-2009) … much like SRK was during his 10 year reign from 1995-2004 … but sadly, Aamir with his adolescent act in 3I has become hell more irritating than SRK ever became with his raj-rahulian facial distortions, stammering or tearjearking eyes/dialogues … this may be as big an achievement for Aamir as is 3I’s box-office run!
utkal 6 January 2010
06:59:51 am
Irritating? Amir is the most loved figure oin #I. He is rancho personified. I think he has taking acting to a new level by bringing Rancho to life so flawlessly, just the way he did with Bhuvan in Lagaan ten years back.
DDDhit 6 January 2010
07:29:47 am
3Idiots is more like HAHK or DDLJ of 2000s rather than sholay.
To overatke sholay a film should net more than 350 crores.
Anycase 3 idiots has set the standard for other films.
Ihab 6 January 2010
07:44:32 am
I honestly feel Aamir gave his best performance since Rang De Basanti. Where was he irritating? Infact, he was the most loved character from the movie. Also, his act in 3 Idiots was quite natural. Whether it was the comic timing or emotional scenes, Aamir was top notch.
Each Aamir movie has surpassed the previous one. Like RDB had made 51 crs, then Fanaa made 54 crs, then TZP made 63 crs, Ghajini made 115 crs and now 3 Idiots is looking set for a 170+ crores. I seriously feel Aamir’s fan base has increased alot in these 4 years. And with 3 Idiots, he might be having a bigger fan base than SRK.
JustaFan 6 January 2010
07:55:34 am
this is bigger then Sholay…..for a movie to do 150-170 CR in this day and age of youtube, priated dvd’s and other forms of entertainment is mind boggling. When Sholay came out, there was only one way to watch it…in theatres. People always seem to froget things like this.
JustaFan 6 January 2010
07:59:00 am
No other movie is touching this one for a long long long time. Forget these so called future ‘blockbusters’ like MNIK, KITES, RA1 etc….none of them stand a chance.
Ihab 6 January 2010
08:30:52 am
3 Idiot’s Boxoffice performance is so amazing that it makes Ghajini’s boxoffice look like “nothing great” and makes BO performance of rest of the Blockbusters seem like peanuts. Aamir has raised the benchmark so high that from now if any Aamir, SRK, Akshay or Hrithik movie does in the range of 80-90, then it wont really seem anything great because 3 Idiots will be around 100 crores more..
I still feel Ghajini’s Boxoffice is very tough for movies to cross, leave 3 Idiots aside. Imagine, After Ghajini’s collections of 115 crores Nett, the next highest grosser is RNBDJ with 30 crores less collections – 85 crores. And 3 Idiots will be like 90 crores ahead of RNBDJ..
I think all of us were underestimating Aamir’s stardom and 3 Idiots even after Ghajini. Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought 3 Idiots would be such a craze at Boxoffice.. I thought it would make 50 crores in first week and around 100 by its final run…
NyKavi 6 January 2010
08:52:44 am
Gadar at 70cr in 2001 became a benchmark because K3G the previous year at 45cr was a BB. But even Gadar at 70cr is not considered to have beaten DDLJ/HAHK.
In 2006-7 D2-OSO had become BBs when they crossed 70crs. An avg hit in those yrs was 50crs.
By 2009, Ghajini had raised the bar for BB to be 100cr+. And 70cr became the benchmark to be just classified as a Hit (ie for avg commercial movies like LAK/APGHK).
So today, a BB still shudve been around 110+crs based on just 1 yr back perf of Ghajini. 3i at 160cr definitely compares to (and probably beats) DDLJ/HAHK.
I think Sholay comparison for any movie after 1980s becomes very difficult, just because of the new option to see movie on demand (not in theatres) starting with VCR, and the resultant rampant piracy because of it. It is impossible for a movie to run for years and years in cinemas and keep gathering $$s like a rental landlord, which is what Sholay did over its lifetime.
Even to beat HAHK/DDLJ is humongous because internet piracy was not rampant in those days. Also, the theatre run time has reduced drastically. Movies are done in 6-7 weeks max. One can say that the bombardment of prints solves the issue, but IMO the bombardment of prints only satisfies the demand. The capacity of moviegoing folks keeps increasing annually in a country like India which adds 20M population annually. In 1975, there were 450M Indians, today there are 1.1B. If you consider population growth and factor in upward mobility due to economic growth of last 3o yrs, the increase in printcounts from 1975 to 2009 is proportionate. It is another matter that every movie cannot do the same thing, ie every movie cannot cut across all demographics. Only true ATBBs do that.
Ihab 6 January 2010
08:59:08 am
Well said NyKavi.
Only thing is, Gadar released way before K3G. Both released in 2001. Gadar was a phenomenal Hit.
And also, I think Ghajini’s nett of 115 crores is pretty high by today’s standard. And I am having doubts whether MNIK or Kites will be able to top that itself.
JustaFan 6 January 2010
09:36:19 am
Gadar released in June 2001, K3G in December. But as NYKAVI said, even Gadar didn’t shatter HAHK \ DDLJ \ RH from the 90’s. 3I has just destroyed everything in it’s path.
Ihab 6 January 2010
09:41:13 am
Another thing I just noticed is that Aamir is the only guy who has given three All Time Blockbusters.. Raja Hindustani, Ghajini and now the Biggest of all, 3 Idiots. SRK and Salman have two ATBB’s to their credit..
JustaFan 6 January 2010
09:47:43 am
technically, Salman has 3 (MPK, HAHK, KKHH though it was a guest appearance and no one really knew he was in the movie).
NyKavi 6 January 2010
10:08:33 am
Wrt higher ticket prices, that 20% is just pure profit in the pockets of the producers/distributors. If you increase price, and demand doesnt decrease, it only makes the product more profitable. Simple Economics. The movie actually takes less days to turn profitable due to this. And I would venture that demand actually increased for 3i due to its universal appeal. Otherwise why would people in small towns be paying more? But let other stars try the same thing, lets see if increased price keeps demand stable for those stars. Only SRK/HR may be able to pull it off, as long as their movies have the same universal appeal.
One also has to factor in international performance. Ticket prices were not increased in US, yet it will end up making at least 60% higher than the previous highest Hindi hit. Same in UAE, Australia.
Achilles 6 January 2010
10:33:43 am
Aamir fans are acting more and more like srk fans these days … srk fans never understood why many find srk so irritating, even though many think he is vishnu in his kaliyug avatar as an actor!
Ihab 6 January 2010
10:38:00 am
NyKavi, I think the ticket prices reasons are kinda exaggerated. First and foremost, ticket prices had been increased in selected multiplexes across selected Cities. There was no price rise in Nizam, CI, Rajasthan, Pune, Indore, Nagpur etc. Yet the movie is record breaking in each and every circuit. Even in Punjab, where the movie is rocking, there has been no price difference.
Price rise or not, I dont think we will get to see any other movie which makes an earth shattering 41 crores in first weekend, and then falls 10-15% in second weekend to make another earth shattering 35 crores.
NOTE :- I am not accusing you of giving reasons. I am just telling in general.
And another point is that, not only were people ready to pay more for a ticket to watch this movie, they are going for a 2nd and 3rd viewing too. This is what is great.
Ihab 6 January 2010
10:41:43 am
Achilles, when you are calling Aamir “irritating”, atleast give some reasons for that claim. Let us Aamir fans see what non-fans find irritating about Aamir? As far as I know, the only reason why people dislike Aamir is because he has made soem real lousy comments recently. Also, because they feel he is very boastful and thinks too much about himself. That is their reason. When it comes to acting, I dont think anyone dislikes him. Only biased people would do that.
My Name is Ali 6 January 2010
10:53:51 am
@Ach(Shakespear of NG) “srk fans never understood ………..as an actor”
LOL man this is height of sarcastic comment.
u really have good sence of humour man, u rock,carry on.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
12:45:03 pm
Is 3I the new Sholay?
Well the best way to asnwer that question would be to see how much bigger a hit Sholay was relative to the other hits of the era.. and compare that to 3I and the other hits of this period. Sholay’s net totals are 3x that of the biggest hits prior to it and twice that of the biggest hist just after it. Sholay, going by BOI, totaled 15 cr net .. which is about 3x that of the Bobby ’s 5c total that released only a couple years before it, and about double that of MKS’s 8cr and AAA’s 7 cr .. the biggest hits of the next 2-3 years. Notice, how the films compared are in the same era. within a 5 yr span. Cannt be comparing MeA or the hits of the 80s coz other factors play role.
Now, Ghajini aside, the biggest hits prior to 3I range in the 80-85 cr mark. So, now if 3I triples that, then yes have the battle won against Sholay. Though it is quite unlikely that 3I will do that much, but you cannt say anything for sure about this film’s BO run. Coming to second part of the battle, here’s where things can get really interesting. If the likes of MNIK, Kites etc end up making less than 110-120 ct the bo, we all have to concede that 3I is not only teh new Sholay.. but bigger than Sholay.
But for that, 3I will have to do a 250 cr total.. Quite unlikely.. but with all the records being shatteres not only in all the Indian circuits but also the overseas markets, it could just do that.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
12:48:53 pm
Ach “srk fans never understood ………..as an actor”
not sure if I can call him iritating… but he’s definitely getting very repetitive. I bet ya Aamir’s played the over-the-top smartass college kid way more than SrK’s played the Raj/Rahul types characters.
JustaFan 6 January 2010
01:21:52 pm
Aamir’s ‘over the top smartass college kid’ roles
DIL
JJWS
RDB
3I
SRK’s ‘Rahul \ Raj’ roles
DDLJ
DTPH
KKHH
MOHABBATEIN
K3G
KHNH
so it seems that SRK has far more of those Rahul \ Raj type roles then Aamir’s smartass college kid type roles.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
01:37:29 pm
Mohabattein? You’ve gotta be kidding me. How’s his Raj Aryan character in any way similar to his KKHH’s Rahul Khanna? Just coz his name is Raj in the movie? In that case might as well add Darr to the list.. coz he’s Rahul there.
And funny how you forgot Dil chahta hai, Dil, Qayamat se qayamat tak, love love love, etc etc for Aamir.
And he’s not a college going kid in Dil Hia ki maanta nahi, Rangeela, AAA, Ishq etc .. his character’s got the same traits as the ones mentioned above.
And that covers almost half his filmography.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
01:42:58 pm
While on Sholay vs 3I, it’d be much more impressive a feat for 3I if it does oust Sholay. since unlike Dharam’s Sholay which also happened to have two other stars in it, Aamir’s 3I is a solo. He’s the sole crowd puller. Also, relatively speaking 3I is a much smaller film than Dharam’s Sholay.
JustaFan 6 January 2010
02:16:32 pm
so Aamir’s QSQT kid was a smart ass type of role but SRK’s Raj in Mohabbatein was quite a departure from the Rahul \ Raj type.
Yeah…makes sense!!!
NyKavi 6 January 2010
02:24:50 pm
“Dharam’s Sholay”
Kyun Street Bhai. Gabbar/Thakur/Jai ko bhool gaye kya?
Vaisey, if it truely was Dharam’s Sholay, he really had the rug pulled out from under him by the other characters, and further on by BigB in the subsequent #1 game.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
03:51:43 pm
justafan.. we’re prolly talking of different movies. For every single character trait that you can claim to be common in both SrK’s characters in Mohabattein and KKHH, I’m sure I can find a thousand that’s different.
Nykavi.. I admit that post-release Sholay’s most talked about character was Gabbar by a long shot. But initially, as the film was set up dharam was the main hero of the film. I find it really interesting when some Bachchan bakhts (not pointing at you here nykavi) claim that Sholay was Bachchan’s hit.
NyKavi 6 January 2010
04:20:51 pm
I may be wrong, but when Sholay was planned in 1973, Zanjeer had just released. Salim-Javed asked Ramesh Sippy to cast Amitabh in Jai’s role after seeing him in Zanjeer. I wont say that Sippy had planned this to be Amitabh’s movie at all, in fact Dharam was to be the main hero. But, as the shooting progressed (it took almost 2 yrs to shoot this movie), and after a few more releases from Amitabh, especially Deewar, I wont be surprised if they had beefed up Amitabh’s role some more. The end result was for all to see, off course, with every character having almost equal weight and depth, and becoming legendary for the ages. It was everyone’s movie, not just belonging to one of those guys. Whereas Dharam/Amitabh/Sanjeev repeated their acts several times in other movies, and in a way diluted their impact of Sholay, Amjad never did. Maybe thats why, Gabbar left the most impact because of his once-in-a-lifetime act.
Another thing that is unmatchable is the content of the movie itself: the music, dialogs, songs, situations, etc. Sholay is probably the most deeply etched in folklore, as compared to any other bwood movie past or present. IMO, I dont think any other movie can come close to it, at least not 3i/DDLJ/HAHK etc.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
06:55:04 pm
“The end result was for all to see, off course, with every character having almost equal weight and depth …”
I’d say Dharam has the meatier role of the lot quite easily .. followed by Sanjeev (considering his solo side-track) and then Amitabh and Amjad.
As for Amitabh and his hits. Zanjeer was a hit .. but it was not a big one of any sorts and though it made Amitabh a star .. it dint quite put him in the upper echelons quite yet. During the making of Sholay and its release, Dharam was churning out huge hits and quite frankly was the #1 during that era between the demise of Khanna and the rise of Amitabh to the top. it just happens that poor fella never got his due, simply because his short tenure at the top was sandwiched between two very dominating superstar eras.
And where impact goes, I am not sure of the initial reaction.. but I do agree with you that Gabbar’s act is a once in a lifetime one while thers diluted the effect by overdoing their acts repeatedly.
Gorilla 6 January 2010
09:08:51 pm
3I’s feat is simply amazing but richly deserved.
Raju Guide 6 January 2010
09:11:47 pm
STREET, “But for that, 3I will have to do a 250 cr total.. Quite unlikely”
It is already at 130+60=190Cr worldwide.
And talking about Gabbar,Omi Vaidya is the new Gabbar
Just kidding…it is too early to compare it to Sholey. BTW, does anyone know that when Ramesh Sippy attended first screening of sholey in theatre with real audience – he was shocked…there were no “sities” or “taliyaa”. He thought movie is a flop…later he realized that ppl were in shock – they had never seen a film like that before…they were so stunned that they forgot to even clap!
Raju Guide 6 January 2010
09:17:19 pm
Gorilla, aise gayab mat hua karo yaar. Hope everything is well.
S T R E E T 6 January 2010
09:25:52 pm
Raju I dint know the exsact numbers. If it indeed has a nett total of 190.. and is on the way to nett 250 cr.. then it’s only fair to say 3I is on the verge of ousting Sholay.
utkal 6 January 2010
09:52:39 pm
Zanjeer was quite a sensational hit. And he had already outstaged Rajesh Khanna, the reigning superstar, in Namak Haram. So he wasa star to reckon with, though, yes, Dharam was the bigger star. There was many roting for him as the future superstar after Zanjeer. Then there was Sanjeev Kumar a major star-actor. And there were Hema and Jaya, the two leading heroines of the time. No doubt about it Sholay was more stars laden than 3 Idiots. But scriptwise it is quite similar. Amir, Sharaman and Madhavan vaguely equivalent to Dhram. Amitabh and Sanjeev, Omi is Jagdeep. Boman is Amjad or the other way around. The film is of course less women-centric than Sholay.
RAJ 6 January 2010
10:09:24 pm
Hate to compare movies which is decades apart both BO wise and Contanet wise ….Sholay made a indeliable impression even after 34 years after its release…3I has the potential to do so…
In Sholay each and every charachter was well etched out but in 3I there are certain weak charachters …Neverthless 3I like Sholay is a movie whose impact is felt across all scetion of the audince…
Achilles 6 January 2010
10:11:41 pm
Street makes the most logical points on 3I and Sholay comparison.
On Zanjeer – it was like SRK’s Darr or Bazzigar – made a star out of them but did not make them the topmost star.
On Sholay – it was more of a dharam vehicle but amitabh was good in his small part – does not make sholay amitabh’s movie.
utkal 6 January 2010
10:21:47 pm
Amibh did not havea small part. He hada parallel part, right from the intro scene in the train and the Yeh Dosti song. The only extar fotage Dharam had was the songs nad scenes with Hema. For Every Water tower scene of Dharam there was the Mausi scene ( Daru tab pita hai jab jua mein haar jaata hai.) Amitabh was the No 2 hero of the time slowly on his way to becoming no 1.
NyKavi 7 January 2010
06:14:15 am
At the end of a 3hr actioner full of excitement and drama, one gets to do the final tally of the 4 main characters:
Thakur: lost his family, his arms, but gains vengeance on Gabbar
Gabbar: lost his arms, but not his life (bcoz as we now know, censor board asked Sippy to reshoot that scene)
Veeru: loses his friend, but walks out with his love Hema
Jay: Loses his life to protect his friend, the ultimate sacrifice
In the end, the most impact in terms of emotion was felt for Jay. I remember, as kids when we used to see Sholay, everyone used to be teary eyed when Jay kicks the bucket.
As I said earlier, the movie started off shooting as Dharam’s movie because he was the bigger star in 1973. But by the end, it had morphed into a very equal between the two. They both have a parallel role throughout, in every event. The extra footage which Dharam had with Hema was balanced by the extra footage of Amitabh when he sets up a defence against the attacking daakus, on the bridge, the shooting, bombs etc, and his final breath. All of that packs a powerful punch that counter-balances the entertainment of Dharam’s frolicking with Hema.
So it all evens out in the end.
Raju Guide 7 January 2010
01:39:23 pm
Aamir on 3I vs Sholey and him being Number #1
Ihab 7 January 2010
02:00:58 pm
Who is the interviewee? He sucks! What is that way of asking questions? “Kitne crore kamaee”? Is that a way to ask? Damn arrogant he seemed.