A Record Before Release: Overseas Rights to Shah Rukh Khan's 'King' Sold for Rs 175 Crore
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming film 'King' has set a commercial record in the international market before even reaching cinemas: its overseas theatrical rights have been sold for a record Rs 175 crore.
According to various reports in the Indian media, no film in Indian cinema history had previously touched even the Rs 100 crore milestone for its overseas exhibition rights sold on their own, putting the film in a unique position commercially before its release.
The distribution rights for the international market have been bought by the distributor Phars Films. Shah Rukh's last two blockbusters, 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan', were distributed internationally by Yash Raj Films; this time the arrangement has changed, and Phars Films has guaranteed a minimum of Rs 175 crore for the film's overseas rights.
International distributors usually receive about 50 percent of total cinema ticket sales. On that basis, to recover this investment 'King' will have to earn roughly 37 to 40 million US dollars from the international market alone — about Rs 350 to 375 crore in Indian currency.
Shah Rukh's previous two films, 'Pathaan' and 'Jawan', each earned more than Rs 400 crore from overseas markets worldwide, setting a new benchmark. After the distributors' bold investment, whether 'King' can repeat that historic success and turn a profit is now one of the film trade's main points of interest.
After the success of 'Pathaan', Shah Rukh Khan returns to the big screen under director Siddharth Anand with this film. The star-studded cast alongside him includes Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal and Saurabh Shukla.
The film's biggest draw is that real-life father and daughter Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan appear together on the big screen for the first time. If everything goes to plan, 'King' will be released in cinemas worldwide on 24 December.
