'Happy New Year' (HNY) US Box Office Collection Disappointing: Shah Rukh Losing Charm Abroad Because of His Predictable Movies?

Shah Rukh Khan's latest movie, "Happy New Year" (HNY) may be rocking at Indian box office, earning more than ₹40 crore on the opening day, but its overseas collection is disappointing, which could make many ask if King Khan is beginning to loss charm abroad due to his predictable films.

Directed by Farah Khan, "Happy New Year" features Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles. It created opening record in Bollywood by earning ₹44.97 crore on Friday, according to film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh. Aamir Khan's "Dhoom 3" held the record earlier with ₹36.22 crore.

However, Bollywood Hungama reported that "Happy New Year" earned just ₹2.23 crore in USA and Canada, ₹1.93 crore in UK, ₹0.6 crore in Australia, ₹0.1 crore in New Zealand and ₹0.07 crore in Malaysia.

Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan's previous film did better at the US box office than "Happy New Year". "Jab Tak Hai Jaan", which was released in 2012, collected more than ₹7 crore in its first weekend in the US, while the 2013 release, "Chennai Express" collected more than ₹14 crore.

Having collected ₹2.23 crore from US on the opening day, "Happy New Year" can beat "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" weekend collection but may not be able to beat "Chennai Express", as it will be difficult to earn more than ₹11 crore in two days.

The fact is Shah Rukh Khan's films may not appeal to global audience anymore, as they revolve around thin story line. The last time the actor acted in a film with good storyline was in 2007 with "Chak De! India." "My Name Is Khan", which was released three years later had terrorist theme with a social message, but other films released in the last seven years like "Om Shanti Om," "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," "Dulha Mil Gaya," "Ra.One," "Don 2," "Jab Tak Hai Jaan," "Chennai Express," and the just released "Happy New Year" were all predictable and all about Shah Rukh Khan.

Many critics are of the opinion that "Happy New Year" is a typical Shah Rukh Khan film just for fun. Many viewers took to twitter to mock the movie for its thin storyline but at the end of the day, the film succeeded and that matters. Shah Rukh is already a brand and his films may do well at Indian box office irrespective of whether they have good story or not but his popularity could take a beating in other countries like US, UK and Australia if he sticks to movies with masalas.