Indian films seem to be having their moment in the sun as Nag Ashwin’s Telugu dystopian sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD and Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Punjabi romantic comedy Jatt & Juliet 3 have entered the top 10 weekend performers at the North American box office, as reported by Deadline. (Also Read – Kalki 2898 AD box office collection day 4: Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone-starrer mints ₹302.4 cr in India)
Indian films make their presence felt
Kalki 2898 AD, billed as the most expensive Indian film till date, scored the #5 spot and earned $5.4 million in the three-day weekend (Friday to Sunday) in North America. This has helped its total reach $11 million, after adding the earnings from Wednesday previews and the opening day (Thursday), which registered the biggest opening for an Indian film in North America so far. Interestingly, its first footage was unveiled with much fanfare at San Diego Comic-Con last year.
If Telugu is excelling, Punjabi isn’t far behind. Jagdeep Sidhu’s romantic comedy threequel, Jatt & Juliet 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa, earned $1.8 million over the three-day weekend (earning the #9 spot), taking its total up to $1.9 million at the North American box office so far. Diljit’s Coachella performance and his recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon has made him a force to reckon with in the US.
Notable Hollywood grossers
Disney Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 earned the #1 spot and added another $57.4 million to its North American box office during the three-day weekend. It now stands at $469.3 million cumulatively. Also, it managed to whoosh past the $1 billion mark at the global box office, making it the fastest animated film to do so worldwide.
Another franchise instalment, A Quiet Place: Day One, followed at the #2 spot. In its opening weekend, the apocalyptic thriller earned $53 million at the North American box office. Globally, it registered an opening of $99 million, thus making it the highest grossing instalment in the franchise so far. A prequel to John Krasinski’s 2018 dystopian thriller A Quiet Place, the new film stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn.
