'Taal' Is Highest Per-Screen
Grosser In U.S.
New Delhi (IANS) - There seems to be no stopping
Subhash Ghai's mega movie 'Taal' (rhythm), which created a stampede on the opening day in
some Mumbai theatres and has already grossed the highest average collection per cinema
theatre for movies in North America.
But while 'Taal' had above average collections on an all-India level in the first week,
its first three-day collections were an impressive $591,289 in North America, the Economic
Times reported.
Released simultaneously on 44 screens in North America, the film starring the incomparable
Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai, Anil Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna, notched up $13,438 per
screen.
'Taal', promoted in true Hollywood style with huge banners and an aggressive television,
radio and Internet campaign, is expected to be seen by an estimated 100,000 people in the
United States alone in the first week.
Master showman Subhash Ghai, who has spared no expense to make his 14th directorial
venture, also set an all-time record by releasing 100 prints of the film overseas,
breaking the previous record set by Bollywood director Indra Kumar's 'Mann' (98 prints)
and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' (85 prints).
Sunder F. Rai, vice-president of the Indian
Film Exporters Association, which keeps a tab on the number of prints of each film export,
said the increase in the demand for prints is mostly confined to territories in the U.S.,
Canada and Britian, traditionally the best export market for Indian films. "Normally
only 25 prints of each movie goes to America and Britian combined. For 'Taal', 45 prints
were supplied to these territories, an increase of 20 prints, 25 prints were supplied to
Britain alone," he told the Screen weekly.
Indian films are doing brisk business overseas, with export earnings earlier amounting to
Rs 150 - Rs 160 million ($3.48-3.72 million) before the liberalization of film exports,
now totalling Rs 2 billion ($46.5 million). Besides new markets are coming up for Indian
movies, like Indonesia, where two new buyers have acquired Indian movies, Rai pointed out.
'Taal', the story of young singer Manasi, who travels from the unspoilt hills of Himachal
Pradesh to dizzying heights of international fame, was a trend-setter right from the start
by becoming the first film to be fully insured in India. It is being referred to as Ghai's
best film. His previous films include 'Ram Lakhan', 'Saudagar', 'Khalnayak' and 'Pardes'.
Music Release : June 1999
Film Release : August 12th, 1999
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