"The Avengers" may be the darling of Hollywood this summer, but overseas in Bollywood, there's another film gunning for the all-time record.
"Ek Tha Tiger" ("There Was A Tiger") grossed an India record Rupees 1 billion ($18 million) in its first five days of release, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
It also set an opening day India record of Rupees 320 million ($5.8 million), beating January's "Agneepath" which opened to Rupees 210 million.
"Tiger" stars Bollywood sensation Salman Khan and is on pace to become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. The current record holder is 2009's "3 Idiots," which grossed Rupees 3.85 billion ($70 million).
The opening weekend success is not only attributed to the star power of Khan, but also the long opening weekend. "Tiger" opened last Wednesday, August 15, on India's independence day.
“More than box office performance, we are really happy that the audience has liked "Ek Tha Tiger." There is no other criteria for the success of any film,” said a spokesperson for the movie to The Hollywood Reporter.
Produced by Yash Raj Films and directed by Kabir Khan, the film stars Salman Khan as an Indian spy on a mission to track down an Indian scientist (Roshan Seth) suspected of leaking secrets to Pakistan. During the mission Kahn falls for the scientist's caretaker (Katrina Kaif).
Check out the trailer below:
