Pathaan’s success story continues to this day. After months of uncertainty, the film was ultimately released in Bangladesh last month, bringing an end to the country’s long exclusion of Indian films from theatres. For decades, Bangladesh had enforced a ban on Indian films, which had resulted in a widespread culture of piracy in order to watch Indian films. Because there was no prior communication about Pathaan’s theatrical premiere in January, most audiences are likely to have watched the film through their customary channels.
Given the circumstances, including the delayed release and the fact that Pathaan was already available on digital platforms, the release was seen as mainly symbolic, with very low hopes for commercial success.
Against all odds, Shah Rukh Khan’s film defied expectations and got off to a strong start at the box office. The film sold almost 15,000 tickets in its first day on just 40 screenings. Over the weekend, ticket sales climbed to 40,000, giving it the highest opening for a foreign picture in the last two years. Notably, Pathaan outperformed Hollywood blockbusters such as Doctor Strange 2, Thor 4, and Avatar 2.
Initially, it was thought that the thrill of seeing an Indian picture in theatres after a long period contributed to the film’s strong start, and that the film would have a front-loaded performance. Pathaan, on the other hand, proved to be more than just a buzz and continued to do well for weeks to come. Despite facing heavy competition from various Hollywood blockbusters such as “Fast X,” “Transformers,” and “Spider-Verse 2,” the film went on to surpass 100,000 admissions ($225,000) and become the most-watched foreign film in recent years, surpassing Avatar 2.
