Dhurandhar: The Revenge Becomes Biggest Indian Film Ever at North America Box Office

A Historic Milestone for Hindi Cinema Abroad

Indian cinema has a new North American champion. Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the Aditya Dhar-directed spy thriller starring Ranveer Singh, has officially become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time at the North American box office, surpassing $23 million in just its second weekend of release. The record had been held for nine years by S.S. Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which closed its North American run at $20.2 million.

The achievement is significant not just for the film itself, but for Hindi-language cinema as a category. The previous Bollywood benchmark in North America was held by Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan, which opened to $6.9 million over its first three days in 2023. Dhurandhar: The Revenge opened to $10 million from 987 venues in its first weekend, then added an estimated $4.8 million in its second, steadily pulling away from every record in its path.

Second Weekend Numbers Tell the Full Story

The film’s second weekend performance offered a clear picture of its staying power. Earning $1.3 million on Friday, $1.9 million on Saturday and $1.5 million on Sunday, the R-rated feature brought in a solid $4.8 million across the weekend from the same 987 locations as its opening frame. The 52% drop from the debut weekend is a reasonable hold for a film of this scale, particularly one playing in a non-English language.

Canada has been a standout market throughout the run. With approximately 125 screens, the country’s large Indian diaspora community has driven ticket sales to a 33% share of total North American box office, a remarkable figure that underlines just how connected overseas Indian communities remain to domestic Bollywood releases.

A Global Juggernaut: $147 Million Worldwide in 11 Days

The North American record is only part of the picture. Globally, Dhurandhar: The Revenge has crossed INR 1,365 crores, equivalent to approximately $147.8 million worldwide, in just eleven days of release. That figure already surpasses the lifetime worldwide collection of the first Dhurandhar film, which closed at $141.5 million.

India remains the core market, accounting for $110.7 million of the global total. Outside of North America, the film holds the number one position for an Indian release across virtually all major overseas territories. The lone exception is the United Kingdom, where it has grossed £3.4 million, placing second behind Pathaan’s £3.4 million benchmark.

Australia has crossed A$6 million, while Germany has surpassed $1 million. More than 80% of screens across international markets carried the film into its second week, a retention rate that signals genuine audience enthusiasm rather than a front-loaded opening.

The Widest Overseas Release for a Hindi Film

The scale of this release was unprecedented for a Bollywood production. Dhurandhar: The Revenge opened across approximately 2,200 cinemas and 3,000 screens internationally, excluding Gulf territories, making it the widest overseas release ever for a Hindi film. The rollout expanded well beyond traditional diaspora markets into non-conventional territories including Finland, Uruguay, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Chile, Mexico and Cyprus.

The film released simultaneously in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, broadening its appeal across multiple Indian regional audiences both domestically and abroad.

One frontier that remains untapped is China, where the Dhurandhar franchise has yet to release. For context, Aamir Khan’s Dangal remains the all-time Indian box office champion in China with $192 million. Should the sequel find its way into that market, the total global figure could shift dramatically.

Project Hail Mary Holds the Top Spot Overall

While Dhurandhar: The Revenge dominated Indian cinema headlines, it was Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary that held the overall North American number one position for a second consecutive weekend. The Ryan Gosling-led sci-fi adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel added $54.5 million from 4,077 locations, dropping just 32% from its debut to bring its North American running total to $164.3 million.

Worldwide, the $200 million production now stands at an estimated $300.8 million, firmly establishing it as a genuine commercial hit and a significant moment for Amazon MGM Studios as it builds out its full theatrical slate.

IMAX continues to be a meaningful contributor, with the format generating $10.1 million in the second weekend for a $33 million cumulative IMAX total. The 15/70mm format across 15 North American and one UK site has delivered a $269,000 per-screen average, numbers that will encourage further investment in large-format releases.

The Rest of the Chart

Disney and Pixar’s Hoppers ranked second on $12.2 million from 3,650 sites, bringing its four-weekend cumulative total to $138.6 million. Warner Bros.’ They Will Kill You, an action comedy starring Zazie Beetz as a one-woman army housekeeper navigating a mysterious high-rise, debuted disappointingly in third place with just $5 million from 2,778 locations.

Universal’s Reminders of Him rounded out the top five with $4.7 million from 3,181 locations, pushing its three-weekend total to $41.1 million. The film adapts Colleen Hoover’s novel and stars Maika Monroe and Tyriq Withers. Hoover’s previous adaptation, It Ends With Us, grossed $350 million worldwide through Sony Pictures.

IFC’s Forbidden Fruits, Meredith Alloway’s SXSW world premiere about a secret coven operating inside a shopping mall, opened in tenth place with $1.2 million from 1,525 locations.

What the Numbers Mean for Bollywood’s Global Ambitions

Overall North American box office for the weekend reached $96.9 million, up 18% on the previous session. Year-to-date box office now stands at $1.75 billion, tracking 23% ahead of 2025 at the same point.

For the Indian film industry, the Dhurandhar: The Revenge numbers carry a meaning beyond the headline figures. For years, the conversation around Bollywood’s overseas potential has been dominated by Telugu-language productions, particularly the RRR and Baahubali franchises. This result represents a clear statement that Hindi cinema can compete at the same level, and perhaps go further, when the storytelling, scale and marketing align.

Written, directed and produced by Aditya Dhar, the film features Ranveer Singh in dual avatars alongside R. Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal, Arjun Rampal as ISI Major Iqbal, Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam, and Sara Arjun. It is produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, with Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar also among the producers.

The record books have been rewritten. The question now is how much further this run can go.

Source: variety.com