Pathaan will be raking in a massive Rs. 650 crore plus recoveries from all revenue sources. That makes it the highest-ever recovery for a Bollywood film, besting Aamir Khan’s Dangal

srk, deepika, Pathaan
Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan (image courtesy of YRF)

It was a month ago today that Pathaan opened and became a box office phenomenon. The Shah Rukh Khan starrer has decimated almost every box-office record as we know it, with the first-ever Rs. 1000 crores worldwide (without China release) and Rs. 500 crores nett in India for a Bollywood film. To its makers, Yash Raj Films, the film has generated a mountain heap of cash.

Pathaan beats Dangal in terms of Highest recoveries for a Bollywood film

Pathaan will be raking in a massive Rs. 650 crore plus recoveries from all revenue sources. That makes it the highest-ever recovery for a Bollywood film, besting Aamir Khan’s Dangal. Dangal had recoveries of Rs. 450 crores, not including the monies earned in China. The revenue for Dangal in China remains somewhat obscure, with credible sources estimating it to be between Rs. 120-150 crores out of the Rs. 1125 crores grossed there. That gives a total of Rs. 570-600 crores recovery for Dangal, now eclipsed by Pathaan’s astounding figure of Rs. 660 crores plus. This unprecedented achievement is unparalleled in the Hindi film industry, with no other film crossing the Rs. 400 crores mark in terms of revenue recovery. Bajrangi Bhaijaan came close with a recovery of just under Rs. 400 crores.

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in Pathaan (image courtesy of YRF)

Breaking 650 crores plus recoveries for Pathaan

Breaking down Pathaan’s revenue recovery figures, it has earned a distributor share of Rs. 255 crores in India from the original Hindi version and an additional Rs. 9 crores from the dubbed Telugu and Tamil versions. It is projected that the film will add another Rs. 5 crores from the Hindi version, resulting in a grand total of Rs. 269 crores approx in India. Overseas, the movie is expected to gross around $48.50 million (Rs. 397 crores), of which an estimated Rs. 168 crores will come as a distributor share. The total theatrical earnings amount to Rs. 437 crores. In addition to these earnings, Pathaan will be generating another Rs. 225 crores or more from non-theatrical revenue streams, such as satellite, digital, and music rights.

The breakdown of recoveries for Pathaan are as follows:

Theatrical – Rs. 437 crores

India (Hindi) – Rs. 260 crores

India (Dubbed) – Rs. 9 crores

Overseas – Rs. 168 crores

Non-Theatrical – Rs. 225 crores plus

Total – Rs. 662 crores

The film costs north of Rs. 250 crores to produce and release, other than Shah Rukh Khan’s fees, who will be participating in the profits with Yash Raj, and will be taking a huge load of cash to the bank, likely in the vicinity of Rs. 200 crores. For a more comprehensive analysis of the film’s economics, my colleague Himesh Mankad will be providing an in-depth assessment later this month.