Top Bollywood Actors Overseas 2015

With PK, Aamir Khan has firmly established himself as the biggest actor in the overseas markets. His last 5 films have collected nearly $100 million (Rs 620 crore), which is far better than the second best in the list – Shahrukh Khan, who probably still commands the biggest fan-following overseas, but his films have failed to sustain well in the long run.

• The list below would be based on the gross box office collections of an actor’s last five movies. To keep the comparison fair, all figures are in US dollars.
• Only lead roles would be considered. Cameos, special appearances and guest appearances won’t be taken under consideration. Non-commercial and art films like ‘Dhobi Ghat’ have also not been considered.
• Dated movies that released before 2007 have not been considered.
• We have only included 8 actors in the list because the rest are not bankable stars overseas. The likes of Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra, with a couple of solid overseas performers behind them, are emerging as stars to watch out for. Currently, it’s unfair to include them in the list.

Rank 1 Aamir Khan: Aamir Khan has finally ended Shahrukh Khan’s 2-decade long overseas dominance. PK is the second highest grosser of all time, only behind Aamir’s own Dhoom 3 which is the only film to cross the magical $30 million mark. While the consistency and craze for Shahrukh will be difficult to match, Aamir too has a loyal fan-following which extends to countries like Japan and China. When PK eventually releases in more countries, the total collections of Aamir’s last 5 movies will cross the $100 million mark!

• PK – $26.1 million
• Dhoom 3 – $31 million
• Talaash – $8.95 million
• 3 Idiots – $25.9 million
• Ghajini – $7.75 million
• Total – $99.7 million (average $19.94 million per film)

Rank 2 Shahrukh Khan: An actor who has dominated the overseas markets like no other star in the history of Indian Cinema, Shahrukh Khan remains the biggest crowd puller outside India. His lowest grossers are far higher than the highest grossers of most other actors. His consistency too remains unmatched, as even some of his not-so-acclaimed films that are not released during favourable periods, are record-breaking. He is also the only actor whose last 5 films have all crossed the $10 million mark overseas.

• Happy New Year – $17.63 million (including China)
• Chennai Express – $18.95 million
• Jab Tak Hai Jaan – $13.25 million
• Don 2 – $11.25 million
• Ra. One – $10.9 million
• Total – $71.98 million (average $14.4 million per film)

Rank 3 Salman Khan: Arguably the biggest crowd-puller in India, Salman Khan is at No 3 in the overseas markets. His films don’t take the kind of opening that SRK – Aamir films do, but the reason could be because films that belong to the action / masala genre don’t perform too well overseas. His last release, Kick, was also his highest grosser.

• Kick – $11.4 million
• Jai Ho – $6.1 million
• Dabangg 2 – $8.48 million
• Ek Tha Tiger – $10.4 million
• Bodyguard – $8.3 million
• Total – $44.68 million (average $8.94 million per film)

Rank 4 Hrithik Roshan: The super-success of Bang Bang in the overseas markets has closed the gap between Hrithik and Salman. It will be interesting to see if Hrithik can go past Salman after the release of Mohenjo Daro in 2016. The Top 4 stars are the biggest crowd-pullers overseas, the gap between them and the rest is pretty huge.

• Bang Bang – $13.5 million
• Krrish 3 – $8.78 million
• Agneepath – $6.1 million
• Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara – $7.21 million
• Guzaarish – $3.22 million
• Total – $38.81 million (average $7.76 million per film)

Rank 5 Ranbir Kapoor: Besharam under-performed big time, but Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was a massive success at the box office. Barfi and Rockstar too did well. He could challenge Salman and Hrithik in the next couple of years. His film with Karan Johar titled ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ could widen his overseas following.

• Besharam – $2.96 million
• Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani – $10.45 million
• Barfi! – $5.86 million
• Rockstar – $3.36 million
• Anjaana Anjaani – $3.2 million
• Total – $25.83 million (average $5.17 million per film)

Rank 6 Saif Ali Khan: Saif’s latest release Happy Ending has fared poorly in the overseas markets. The film has collected $1 million in its opening weekend, but the success of Race 2 and Cocktail ensures that Saif continues to hold on to the 6th spot. Happy Ending should collect around $1.5 – 1.75 million by the end of its run as it has dropped all over on Monday.

• Happy Ending – $1.7 million
• Humshakals - $2.65 million
• Bullet Raja- $1 million
• Race 2 - $6.4 million
• Cocktail - $4.3 million
• Total – $16.05 million (average $3.21 million per film)

Rank 7 Akshay Kumar: There was a time when Akshay films would do very well overseas – Singh Is Kinng (7.1 million), Housefull 2 ($6 million), Heyy Baby ($4.4 million) and several others were hugely successful films. Back in 2007 – 2008, Akshay movies used to fare better than Aamir, Salman and Hrithik’s. But his last few films have under-performed big time. His biggest hit in the last 2 years is Holiday: A Solider Is Never Off Duty. Unfortunately, an acclaimed film like Baby has failed to excite the overseas audience. With $2.3 million overseas, Baby collected less than Akshay’s last film with Neeraj Pandey – Special 26 collected $2.75 million.

• Baby – 2.3 million
• Entertainment – 2.8 million
• Holiday: A Solider Is Never Off Duty – $4.2 million
• Boss – $2.75 million
• Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai Dobaara – $1.85 million
• Total – $13.9 million (average $2.78 million per film)

Rank 8 Ajay Devgn: Like India, Action Jackson failed in the overseas markets too. Singham Returns did fairly well. Son of Sardaar was a decent hit.

• Action Jackson – $1.9 million
• Singham Returns – $4.2 million
• Satyagraha – $2.4 million
• Himmatwala – $1.3 million
• Son of Sardaar – $2.8 million
• Total – $12.6 million (average $2.52 million per film)

Top 10 Overseas Grossers

• 1. Dhoom 3 – $ 31 million
• 2. PK – $26.1 million
• 3. 3 Idiots – $ 25.9 million
• 4. My Name Is Khan – $22.98 million
• 5. Chennai Express - $ 18.95 million
• 6. Happy New Year – $ 17.63 million
• 7. Bang Bang - $13.5 million
• 8. Jab Tak Hai Jaan - $13.25 million
• 9. Kick - $11.4 million
• 10. Don 2 - $11.25 million