Yash Raj production "Dhoom 3" is now making a mark for Hindi films in Pakistan's market. Helmed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, the film has not only stolen the limelight in India, but has also made records at Pakistan's box offices.
"Dhoom 3" is scoring high at Pakistan box offices as the film is on demand. Due to this, the theater owners are running five shows a day at several multiplexes, according to reports.
The film made a business of around ₹20 million on first day from 56 screens, beating the earnings of Pakistani film "Waar," according to Press Trust of India.
"Waar" is an English-language action film directed by Bilal Lashari. The film had the biggest opening earning ₹11.4 million on opening day.
"Waar" was released during Eid and it had then shattered "Chennai Express" opening day record in Pakistan. [Read the report here]
But "Dhoom 3" crushed "Waar" records by big margin. Even the opening weekend figure of "Dhoom 3" is much higher than "Waar".
"Waar grossed ₹11.4 million on its opening day but Dhoom 3 has surpassed that by a large margin," Nadeem Mandviwalla, one of Pakistan's leading exhibitors and distributors, told PTI.
"Dhoom 3" was the first film to release in the neighbouring country after the ban was lifted. Lahore High Court's Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan earlier issued a ban on Indian films and televisions shows.
However, the petition was later withdrawn giving a relief to the Indian film industry.
The Khans of Bollywood including Saif Ali Khan, Salman, Aamir and Shah Rukh have a huge fan following in Pakistan.
"There is no doubt that Dhoom 3 has been a massive hit and the reason for this is clearly Aamir Khan and the pre-release publicity for the film," Mandviwalla said.
"It will be interesting to see by what margin Dhoom 3 breaks the record for the highest box office collections in Pakistan, which is held by Chennai Express with grosses of ₹100 million."