At the time of its release, 'PK' emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film of all time.
There was a dialogue in 'Spider-Man': "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility". While I don't entirely agree that cinema has some responsibility towards society, the medium is undoubtedly powerful and is capable of leaving a lasting impact. And this is where Rajkumar Hirani's 'PK', starring Aamir Khan as the lead, won. The 2014 drama film held a mirror onto our faces and forced us to introspect. It challenged societal norms fearlessly, making commentary (of course, wrapped in humor) about everything from religion to blind faith to capitalism and more. No, it didn't change anything outright - but it showcased an audacity that deserves appreciation for sure.
'PK' happened on December 19, 2014 - exactly 10 years ago. Upon its theatrical release, the film received massive critical and commercial success, elevating the bar to a whole new level. And even today, it holds the same appeal to us.
While playing the role of PK, Aamir preferred to sit like this even if there was a chair around pic.twitter.com/OwXqB9lZdx
— Rajkumar Hirani (@RajkumarHirani) November 25, 2014
(Credit: Rajkumar Hirani)
As we celebrate 10 years of 'PK', let's have a look at its unprecedented box office numbers that may outshine even today's blockbusters.
Even before its theatrical release, 'PK' had successfully generated massive buzz among audiences. And as a result, it became the first Bollywood film to earn Rs 1 billion net from online bookings. On its opening day, it garnered a staggering Rs 266.3 million, setting a record. On its second and third day, it earned Rs 303.4 million and Rs 384.4 million, respectively. Its collection over the first weekend stood at Rs 954.1 million.
The film kept growing with time, with its first-week collection standing at Rs 1.831 billion. In just 13 days, it earned around Rs 2,648.2 million, becoming the highest-grossing film in India at the time.
Overall, it had a domestic gross of Rs 448.74 crore.
Internationally, 'PK' was released in 22 markets during its opening weekend. In North America, the film set an opening weekend record for an Indian film, with its collection of $3.75 million. Also, it became the first Indian film to gross US$10 million in North America. Overall, its international gross was US$47.99 million, emerging as the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in international markets.
While we were filming Aamir, he was filming us on his phone. pic.twitter.com/0cedKjgEZl
— Rajkumar Hirani (@RajkumarHirani) November 25, 2014
(Credit: Rajkumar Hirani)
So, produced on a budget of ₹1.22 billion, 'PK' had a worldwide gross of US$118.92 million. Currently, it is the eighth highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.
First of all, 'PK' was released at 5,200 screens in India, surpassing the previous record of 4,500 screens by 'Dhoom 3'.
It was the first Indian film to gross more than Rs 7 billion and US$100 million worldwide.
With around Rs 212.2 million net, 'PK' had the highest collections for a Hindi film on its first Monday.
It set a record second-week box office figure of Rs 957.8 million.
In the Mumbai circuit, it made a record by grossing more than Rs 1 billion net.
It became the highest-grossing Indian film in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and China - again, surpassing 'Dhoom 3'.
