'Pathaan' becomes all-time number one Hindi film in India

Pathaan finally hit the big screens on January 25, and collected a whopping Rs 57 crore (Rs 55 crore in Hindi format and Rs 2 crore in dubbed formats) on the opening day, becoming the biggest Bollywood opener ever.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's "Pathaan" has become the all-time number one Hindi film in India by raising Rs 1028 crore worldwide since its release in January, said Yash Raj Films (YRF).

According to the studio, the Siddharth Anand directorial raised Rs 1.07 crore nett in India (Hindi – 1.05 crore, all dubbed versions – 0.02 crore) on its sixth Friday.

"The total worldwide gross is an incredible 1028 crore (India gross : 641.50 crore, overseas : 386.50 crore)" YRF said in a press note.

The movie, a mega comeback vehicle for Shah Rukh after his absence from leading man roles for more than four years, released on January 25 to great hype and record advance bookings.

"It feels incredible that 'Pathaan' is now the number one Hindi film in India today! The love and appreciation that has been showered on 'Pathaan' by audiences is historic and it shows in the box office result. As a director, I'm proud that I made a film that has entertained people globally," Anand said in a statement.

The new milestone comes days after "Pathaan" became the highest grossing Hindi film worldwide in the history of Hindi cinema in its initial run. "Dangal" is the highest grossing Indian film with a reported earnings of around Rs 2,000 crore.

In its initial run or phase one of the release, the Aamir Khan-starrer earned over Rs 700 crore. In its second phase, when it was released in theatres in China, the film's box office crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark in worldwide gross.

Other Indian films that crossed Rs 1,000 crore mark at the global box office include "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion", "RRR" and "K.G.F: Chapter 2".

Pathaan, which also stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, is an important step in YRF's spy franchise where characters from different films will cross paths at some point. The film follows the titular spy (Shah Rukh) who comes out of exile to stop terrorist group Outfit X from launching a debilitating attack on India.

It is the fourth film in producer Aditya Chopra's spy universe, following Salman Khan's "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Tiger Zinda Hai", and "War", featuring Hrithik Roshan.