Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika reigns Indian box office, overseas market

Kangana Ranaut starrer Manikarnika: Queen of Jhansi has struck a chord with the audience as it is reigning both India’s box office and international markets. It would not be a hyperbole to assert that the performance of the film at both national and international level has made Kangana the ultimate ‘Queen’ of Bollywood.

Producer of Manikarnika, Zee Studios announced on Monday that the film collected INR425.5 million (USD5.98 million, SGD8.09 million)  NBOC (Net Box Office Collection) in India and crossed USD1.55 million (INR110 million, SGD2.5 million) in overseas markets.

Kangana’s performance in the film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is getting widely appreciated by celebrities from the film fraternity as well as the audience at large. Photo courtesy: Twitter page of Manikarnika
Kangana’s performance in the film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is getting widely appreciated by celebrities from the film fraternity as well as the audience at large. Photo courtesy: Twitter page of Manikarnika

Manikarnika has turned out to be a remarkable performer at the international box-office. The film, in its initial three-day run in the overseas markets, has collected a handsome USD 1.071 mn (SGD1.45 million, INR 76.1 million). While Thursday brought the film USD 117k (SGD158k), Friday earned it USD 438k (SGD593). On Saturday, the film fetched USD 516k (SGD698k).

Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the global box-office figures of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi on Twitter on Sunday. He wrote, “#Manikarnika crosses $ 1 mn from international markets…Total till Sat [26 Jan 2019]: $ 1.071 mn [? 7.61 cr]…Thu $ 117k, Fri $ 438k, Sat $ 516k. North America [$ 398k] and UAE-GCC [$ 360k] have performed best. #Overseas”

The period drama has earned INR 268.5 million (USD3.79 million, SGD5.13 million) after two days. The Kangana Ranaut starrer was released on January 25 in India, a day prior to the Republic Day. The strong positive word of mouth around the film has helped it generate great box-office results.

Taran tweeted the film’s figures. He wrote, “#Manikarnika sees remarkable growth on Day 2… Strong word of mouth has come into play, while #RepublicDay holiday has given the much-required boost… Day 3 will be in double digits again… Fri 8.75 cr, Sat 18.10 cr. Total: ? 26.85 cr. India biz. #Hindi #Tamil #Telugu.”

It had garnered a total collection of INR87.5 million (USD1.23 million, SGD1.67 million) on opening day.

Speaking about the roaring success of Manikarnika, Shariq Patel, CEO, Zee Studios says, “We are humbled by the overwhelming response from audiences to the film, especially the younger generation. Rani Lakshmibai has always been in our collective psyche for the longest time. It’s the first time most Indians are visually seeing a manifestation of her valour and courage on the big screen, love has been pouring in from all quarters.”

“Following extremely positive word of mouth, the film has shown an outstanding growth in collections through the weekend. We expect the film to continue to grow this week,” he added.

Speaking about the film’s overseas performance, Vibha Chopra, Head, Zee Studios International (Distribution, Marketing & Acquisitions) said, “The film showcases heroism, sacrifice and indomitable strength of a woman. Audiences around the world have connected with these emotions. The film is the widest International release in this genre and is continuing to gain momentum as we start second week.”

“Owing to the relevance of Rani Lakhsmi Bai’s story worldwide, we will continue to put all our strengths together to get more eyeballs in the coming weeks. This is definitely a story that must be told to audiences across borders,” she added.

Kangana’s performance in the film is getting widely appreciated by celebrities from the film fraternity as well as the audience at large.

Manikarnika epitomizes valour, commitment and passion of an Indian woman who left a mark on the nation's history and its struggle for freedom. Photo courtesy: Twitter page of Manikarnika
Manikarnika epitomizes valour, commitment and passion of an Indian woman who left a mark on the nation's history and its struggle for freedom. Photo courtesy: Twitter page of Manikarnika

However, its competitor Nawazuddin's Thackeray, based on the life of Shiv Sena supremo, late Bal Thackeray, is doing great business in Marathi-speaking natives, especially with the Marathi version. Interestingly,  the business of its Hindi version is not the sort that is required, according to Box Office India. The film (Hindi version) has collected Rs 4.5 crore.

Despite a clash with Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s Thackeray, people from across places continued to throng theaters on the second day of its release as well.

Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi revolves around Rani Laxmibai, who fought against the East India Company and the British to prevent her kingdom of Jhansi from being usurped. The film also features Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongappa and Suresh Oberoi in key roles.

, the film released in over 3000 screens in India and over 700 screens worldwide in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Manikarnika has been released in about 2,900 screens and hit theatres in 50 countries, and in three languages – Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

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