Following up on the much-discussed Top 5 most bankable stars in India, today we discuss the top stars in the overseas market.
Over the last few years, the increasingly large size of the overseas markets, has made it extremely significant for Bollywood filmmakers. The higher ticket prices, the growing NRI audience and the international audience slowly taking interest in Hindi films, has ensured that the $20 million threshold (equivalent to the 100 crore club in India) has been surpassed by films like My Name Is Khan and 3 Idiots.
Popular filmmaker Karan Johar, whose last few films have fared well internationally, once famously said “We do not see NRI’s as people who are separate from Indians. They are all Indians and in fact the NRI’s are more Indian at heart then any of us in India!”
So who are the Top 5 overseas box office stars? It’s pretty much the same as the biggest stars in India, just that the order has changed.
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1. Shahrukh Khan – Well, what do we say? SRK has dominated the international market like no other actor in history. None come close, he’s the absolute KING, by a fair distance. Of the 10 highest grossing films, SRK has starred in 7. In the Top 25, he features in a staggering 12 films! Before 3 Idiots released in China, My Name Is Khan was by far the highest grossing film with $22.15 million (Rs 120 crores). Some of his films that haven’t fared as well as expected in India are blockbusters abroad!
2. Aamir Khan – With 23.9 million (130 crores), 3 Idiots is the highest overseas grosser ever. The film has also made a huge impact at places where most Hindi films don’t even release. While the success of 3 Idiots has tremendously increased Aamir’s following, some of his older film like Ghajini and Fanaa have done well too.
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3. Hrithik Roshan – Hrithik has always been a bankable star at the overseas box office and fairly consistent too with 5 of his films in the Top 25 (including K3G). Dhoom 2 is the 7th highest grosser ever and one of the few films in the SRK dominated Top 10. Before the release of 3 Idiots, Hrithik occupied the second spot.
4. Salman Khan – With 2 films in the Top 25 (three if Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is included), the stocks of the most popular star in India has been rising with films like Dabangg and Bodyguard (No 10). His two upcoming films – Ek Tha Tiger and Dabangg 2 – could push him into the Top 3.
5. Akshay Kumar – Much like Hrithik, Akshay too has been consistent but on the lower side. Some of his films like Singh Is King, Welcome and Housefull 2 have set the cast registers ringing.
Top 25 Highest Grossing Overseas films
| # | Movie | Overseas Collections | In Indian Rupees (55 per $) | Lead stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Idiots | $23.90 million | 132 crores | Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor |
| 2 | My Name Is Khan | $22.15 million | 122 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kajol |
| 3 | Don 2 | $11.70 million | 65 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra |
| 4 | Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna | $10.77 million | 60 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukherjee |
| 5 | Om Shanti Om | $10.08 million | 56 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone |
| 6 | Ra One | $9.20 million | 51 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor |
| 7 | Dhoom 2 | $8.57 million | 47 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai |
| 8 | Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi | $8.43 million | 46 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma |
| 9 | Veer Zaara | $8.20 million | 45 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta |
| 10 | Bodyguard | $8.15 million | 45 crores | Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor |
| 11 | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham | $8.00 million | 44 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kajol |
| 12 | Jodha Akbar | $7.55 million | 42 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai |
| 13 | Don | $7.46 million | 41 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra |
| 14 | Black | $7.40 million | 41 crores | Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee |
| 15 | Singh is King | $7.27 million | 40 crores | Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif |
| 16 | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara | $7.25 million | 40 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif |
| 17 | Ghajini | $7.06 million | 39 crores | Aamir Khan, Asin |
| 18 | Fanaa | $6.86 million | 38 crores | Aamir Khan, Kajol |
| 19 | Devdas | $6.65 million | 37 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit |
| 20 | Kuch Kuch Hota Hai | $6.25 million | 35 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Kajol |
| 21 | Love Aaj Kal | $6.20 million | 35 crores | Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone |
| 22 | Housefull 2 | $6.10 million | 34 crores | Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Asin |
| 23 | Dabangg | $6.10 million | 34 crores | Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha |
| 24 | Kal Ho Na Ho | $6.00 million | 33 crores | Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan |
| 25 | Agneepath | $6.00 million | 33 crores | Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra |
Note: Since, we do not specialize in overseas box office and do not have an extensive database, we have used figures from Wikipedia.
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