Akshay’s ‘Padman’ flops as Bollywood loses lustre in China
NEW DELHI: Akshay Kumar’s biographical drama Padman has earned an unimpressive total of US$3.55 million (RM14.9 million) in China as analysts observe that Bollywood flicks are losing their lustre in the world’s second largest market.
In contrast, the flick which features Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte had made RM45.6 million during its cinematic run in India.
“Padman registers a low start in China. Opening day numbers are much lower than Toilet: Ek Prem Katha which opened in June 2018. The two-day total remains on the lower side,” tweeted trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
Indian film disappointments seem to be increasingly common in China this year. A few weeks ago, Sony Pictures Entertainment India’s comedy drama 102 Not Out had made US$3.56, while the blockbuster war epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion had only managed about US$11.9 million.
To be sure, the success story there, so far, has been majorly driven by Aamir Khan-starrers. While his sports drama Dangal, currently the highest-grossing Indian film in China, had made close to RM703 million, his musical production Secret Superstar earned around RM445 million. Other superhits include PK and 3 Idiots, which Khan had promoted in the country personally. The massive screen count is an important factor for Indian films to have managed such impressive theatrical returns in China, according to industry experts. The country almost quadrupled its screen count in the last few years, from around 10,000. India, on the other hand, works with 9,000-odd cinemas divided between single screens and multiplexes.
The second big factor contributing to the sky-high collections is the difference in ticket rates. The average ticket price in China is US$12 (about RM50) compared with India’s US$1.50 (RM6.30). But most importantly, Indian stories with their strong emotional chord have resonated with Chinese audiences, who are used to either Hollywood spectacles or Chinese mythologies and fantasies. Be it Secret Superstar about a young aspiring female singer fighting a patriarchal system or Hindi Medium focused on issues of education and parenting.
Yash Raj Films, which saw its action adventure Thugs of Hindostan tanking in India, is releasing the flick in China on Dec 28. Producers are not too hopeful that it would score a huge pay day.