Brahmastra was the No.1 film in the world this weekend, earned ₹212 crore; is first Bollywood film to achieve this

Brahmastra has been a breath of fresh air for the Hindi film industry. The Ayan Mukerji fantasy epic has earned ₹120 crore at the Indian box office over its opening weekend, one of the highest ever for a Hindi film. But that’s not all. The film has also created waves internationally, ruling the charts in Australia and New Zealand and opening strong in the US. In fact, due to the strong showing and absence of Hollywood biggies, the film has managed a feat few Indian films can dream of–being the number one film globally over the weekend. Also read: Brahmastra box office: Ranbir Kapoor film crosses ₹100 crore in opening weekend

As per US box office tracker Box Office Mojo, Brahmastra Part One- Shiva has raked in $26.5 million ( ₹212 crore) worldwide in its opening weekend. Of this, $4.4 million has come from the US market alone. This figure makes it the highest-grossing film in the world for the September 9-11 weekend, outdoing indie flick Barbarian ($10.5 million), and past blockbusters like Bullet Train and DC League of Super Pets. The ₹212 crore figure is also important because that means that the film has registered the highest-ever opening weekend for a Bollywood film, beating Sultan’s ₹206 crore. However, there is a rider. This weekend has been one of the lowest-performing ones in the US as there were no major releases due to the 9/11 attacks’ anniversary.

However, it is still an impressive achievement for the film. In fact, only two Indian films have ever topped the worldwide box office in their opening weekend and both were from down south. Last year, Vijay’s Master had topped the global charts when it released in January 2021, earning over $16 million and beating Chinese film A Little Red Flower ($11.7 million). And then, earlier this year, SS Rajamouli’s RRR shattered records by amassing over $60 million in its opening weekend, beating The Batman, which earned $45 million during the same time period.

Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Mouni Roy, also features Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, and Shah Rukh Khan in extended cameos. The film has done particularly well in the south territories too, breaking the single-day earnings record for a Hindi film in Tamil Nadu and earning close to ₹20 crore in AP and Telangana.