10 years ago when we started this website, Shah Rukh Khan was at the peak of his superstardom. ‘Om Shanti Om’ went on to become one of the highest grossers of all-time, even though it was competing against a big film like ‘Saawariya’. ‘Chak De India’ was arguably his career best film and performance. SRK looked invincible, the only other men competing – but failing to consistently beat him – were Hrithik Roshan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar.
10 years down the line, a lot has changed, but what remains strong is his fan-following. SRK is still one of the most loved movie stars in the country and without doubt the most loved Indian actor outside the country.
For an actor who is expected to match or even beat his contemporaries like Salman Khan and Aamir Khan (who have now raced way ahead), SRK simply hasn’t had enough to show as far as box office results are concerned. The collections of his films are still fantastic, an under-performer like ‘Dilwale’ collected a lot more than the career best of several other top actors in the industry. But for an actor who maintained an incredible level of consistency for the first 20 years of his career – more is expected out of him even at the age of 51, even when he has nothing left to prove or achieve.
The concern for SRK is not the opening of his films, but it’s about converting those big starts into big grossers. His films are top-heavy, most of the collections are coming in the first weekend (3 days) – which also suggests that his fans are coming out in big numbers, but the neutrals and people who decide to watch recommended films are no longer coming to watch his films.
The table below makes this point pretty clear on where Shah Rukh Khan has been going wrong. His best trending film is ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ only because clashing with another film tends to improve the weekend to lifetime ratio – which could be because of the section of the audience who want to watch both films. Otherwise, Chennai Express is his best trending film in the last few years and even that doesn’t make it to the Top 5.
Two of his last three films haven’t even doubled the first weekend collections. In other words, more people have watched his films in the first 3 days than those who watched it from 4th day onwards.
It once again proves the point we made earlier, fans of the superstar are coming to watch his films, the rest of the audience – who rely on word-of-mouth – simply aren’t coming in enough numbers. His films haven’t had repeat-value either, which is crucial for films to perform in Week 2, 3, 4 and after.
3 Idiots is by far the best trending film and it would have probably crossed the 500 crore mark if it released today. The Top 3 is all about Aamir Khan and each of those films have gone on to become the highest grossers of all time. Salman’s best film this decade, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, takes the 4th spot. It’s one of those few superstar films that has managed to triple its first weekend business.
In short, as far as Shah Rukh Khan is concerned, it’s still about that one film that needs to find universal acceptance. But the wait for that one film is getting longer with each new release.
The hype has always been there and the stardom is there too, but it’s the substance that’s been missing. It’s not about the first weekend, but what his films collect after the first couple of days that’s going to be important – both for ‘Raees’ and his other release this year.
| Film | 1st Weekend | Lifetime | Ratio |
| 3 Idiots | 37 | 201 | 5.43 |
| Dangal | 107 | 385 | 3.60 |
| PK | 95 | 340 | 3.58 |
| Bajrangi Bhaijaan | 103 | 321 | 3.12 |
| Sultan | 105 | 302 | 2.88 |
| Kick | 84 | 233 | 2.77 |
| Dhoom 3 | 108 | 285 | 2.64 |
| Jab Tak Hai Jaan* | 49 | 120 | 2.44 |
| Chennai Express | 94 | 227 | 2.41 |
| Dilwale* | 65 | 148 | 2.27 |
| Prem Ratan Dhan Payo | 104 | 213 | 2.05 |
| Talaash | 46 | 93 | 2.02 |
| Happy New Year | 109 | 204 | 1.87 |
| Jai Ho | 60 | 112 | 1.87 |
| FAN | 52 | 84 | 1.62 |
Problem is not SRK’s choice. Problem was in with Aamir and Salman’s life. They were not too serious about their film selection. One was busy with Kiran Rao and other was with Katrina Kaif. Now they are too serious about their career and that costs to SRK !1
I observed when the release dates of Shah Rukh Khan movies get nearer, you somehow start this sly negativity campaign… Why..? You say that if PK is relase today it would go to collect 500 cr. I say the same could happen if Chennai express relase nowadays. I suggest you must play an unbiased role rather than presenting things in a distorted way, especially when the release dates of shah rukh khan movies come nearer. If you go along with ur same strategy of spreading negativity, you might lost the neutral viewers.
at least he dares to clash his movies and once even thrashed aamir’s AHAT also with his hit Ram jaane..thrashed all others including salman with clashes !Even a crap dilwale collected huge worldwide !..This is unlike Aamir and Salman who are releasing their movies with 3-4 open weeks without any strong movie to compete with and with high ticket rates ! Clashes are interesting unlike open dangal enjoying monopoly and emerging victorious !
@indicine
Why “*” mark stands for in JTHJ And DILWALE???
If SRK gets 5 week in 2018 then Anand l rai ‘s movie (SRK Starer) will cross 300 cr in second week and lifetime will be 750 cr. I bet u.
Love this promotion!
But nothing will prevent hrithik or Aamir to be the actual best
Where is Krrish-3 indicine??
Only Bajrangi Bhaijaan had a 100 Cr Weekend which managed to triple its first weekend business. It got competition from day 1 itself. So Bajrangi Bhaijaan was by far the best trending film not 3 Idiots, Dangal or PK.
Aamir Khan is nothing but content-dependent and X-Mas product.
Biggest problem with SRK is himself. At the top of his career, he started thinking that he is invincible, no one can come close to him. He got a notion that movies can become super hit just by doing tactical PR & promotion. Films like Main hoon na, Om shanti Om, Rab ne bana di jodi were pretty average films but still got good numbers and that is owed to the hype he created. The only good movie (in last 15 years) he has done is Chak de India. As usual, he is still dependent on that hype and the box office numbers of Raees will still be skewed towards the first week. He must be looking to deliver some content oriented movie, if he wants to bounce back otherwise the existing fan base of SRK will keep on eroding as has happened in last 8-9 years.
Be it in India or outside India amir n salman are more loved than srk.no debate over it.srk neither has any movie in top 5 be it in India or overseas then how come srk is most loved outside India .he might be loved more 5 yes ago but definitely not now.
Only srk fans are excited for raees.
Article to sympathise SRK fans
srk just need a christmas or eid weekend to break records.. no one can achieve 300cr in normal weekends… his stardome is unmatchable… just salman is little close to his stardom that s also only in india… worldwide srk is more popular than tomcruise… if anyone have dout google it…! just pray that he can get a eid or christmas weekend for his upcoming movies.. he will always be king … maybe he dont have big boxoffice numbers.. but aamir and salman nothing infront of srk… he is ruling from 25years.. salman from 8years… !
Too much gangu teli praising in the article!!! It looks like a PR job more than #indicine’s article!!!!
Yes, correct analysis. He has to choose pan India subject based in India primarily.
Happy New Year & Dilwale had broke the neutral audience’s hope.
Also you need to count take the screen count into consideration of SRK in comparison to Aamir Khan & Salman Khan.
Indicine u guyz really rocks. A new way of analysing boxoffice. It has its own shortcomings still very mch appreciable. Thumbs up
yes only one movie needed which
have universal appealing to full the
people’s in to cinema hall it will
come soon or may be
RAEES.
What? HNY weekend- 109cr!!! If HNY really collected 109cr in weekend then baba Gurmeet is much bigger star SRK. Cz according to official figures babaji has delivered two 250cr grossers but srk yet to touch even 230cr mark!
last two DECA belong to SRK
present DECA belong to Ameer and
Salman the FORTH DECA may be belong
to srk
Lol… Excuse! Excuse! and more Excuses! from srk fans and Indicine (they r fan too)…
1st – If Dilwale and HNY are under performer, which is over performer ?! Error not Found except one CE. Dilwale and HNY are his top 2nd and 3rd film and u r calling it Under performer then which is good performer ?! I will fail in 10th std and will give excuse of not studying well although I was studying hard…. Actually they aren’t his under performer, these r his potential. His potential is 150-200.
“He need only one Universal appealing film”… lol… and when that will come ?Answer – Never! because he already is making universal films like CE, HNY & Dilwale & Raees too and giving excuses of that these ain’t universally appealing which will be ?! Simply None. Bajrangi Bhaijaan was Universal but Dilwale (grossed $26 million, and if u will give excuse that every srk film perform better at overseas then why fan fail to collect even $11 million being better film than Dilwale) and HNY aren’t. Sultan is massy but Fan and Raees aren’t! Lol…. I don’t know when they (SRK fans and Indicine) will stop giving excuses on SRK. Actually srk ain’t failing but his potential is that much only…. HNY failed – Excuses were that it was bashed by critics and it was long 3 hours film than why dhoom 3 with same running time crossed 285 crs ?… Dilwale failed – excuses were that it clashed and wasn’t universal… lol then why it collected more in overseas if it wasn’t ?! BajiMast was clashed too and I went to collect more than 180 crs. Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan were clashing too but both went on to collect 600+600 crs. Fan failed – excuses were that it wasn’t universal… lol, this time critic supported still failed to cross 85 crs! why ? even Jai Ho was worst, JTHJ, was worse than this still collected more being clashing with SOS…..And now When Raees will fail I know u will first give excuse of clash (even akki’s film collected more than 120 with clash) than will give excuse of Sunny Leone and Dark. What is Dark in Raees ?! and if u know that due to sunny family won’t come, why they chose her for item no. (item means massy but u all r gonna give excuses ?!.
Hmm comparing his collection with AK will just make him looks bad. Just don’t please.. Not only for collection, but also about quality of movies, SRK is far far behind AK.
And I know SRKIAN will dislike this
You didn’t take Hrithik in this chart..
Hes a flop star who was always carried high by a paid media
You forgetting that in the first wknd not even 1% of his global 3.6 billion bother to watch his crapfests…! When they cant stand his torturous overacting why should innocent moviegoers subject themselves to that torture….????
Stop blaming neutral audiences like me for this media created stars failings at the boxoffice n instead blame his jobless homeless senseless YOUTUBE dwelling fans….!
Dullwale has the biggest star cast and the biggest entertaining film maker…still srkaycine is trying to prove a point…just giving srkay fans some bones to bark
A good article. I completely agreed. I hope Raees will be that film which will bring the neutral audience back to the theaters. I m huge srk fan nd wil always be. Waiting for raees its looking very promising.
If universally appealing n super CONTENT RICH Phankha vouldnt get the public to theatres to watch our Queen chase his own shadow for 3 hrs then nothing else will work…!
Lets face facts here ppl- the era of the Phankha is over n its time for our Phankha Salesman to retire with the other dadsjis in Mordor….!
Srkay’s over seas popularity is bcoz of the over dose of yrf-dharma movies she has done
ranbirs biggest grosser over seas is karans dil hai muskil…which is a gud proof
Our Dadaji is now just a regional star who is still loved by the ppl of his homeland Porkistan but in overseas Aamir is numero uno n in overseas territories like India Salman Khan is way ahead of the paki star Pluto Boy…!